Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland produced a late charge to take the clubhouse lead at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, while Pranavi Urs overcame illness to join Avani Prashanth as the leading Indian after Thursday’s opening round at DLF Golf and Country Club.
Tamburlini closed with a five-under 67 to move one stroke ahead of defending champion Shannon Tan and Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher, who returned matching 68s.
Pranavi and Avani opened with two-under 70s to share fifth place, three strokes behind the Swiss leader. Tvesa Malik also finished under par with a 71 to occupy tied ninth.
The opening round could not be completed after fading light forced play to be suspended at 5.57pm. Sweden’s Andrea Lignell was on the 18th fairway when the players were called off.
Tamburlini finds her touch at DLF
Tamburlini, the 2024 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner, relied on accurate iron play and a productive putter to negotiate a layout where small mistakes are often severely punished.
The Swiss golfer described her approach as “simple golf,” built around finding fairways, controlling her approaches and converting the resulting opportunities.
“I hit quite a few fairways and felt comfortable with my irons,” Tamburlini said. “I converted a lot of putts, and the putter was definitely what made it possible to go low.”
Her 67 established the early benchmark as she seeks to improve on previous visits to India that have not produced the results expected of a former LET No. 1.
Tan began her title defence without a bogey, spreading four birdies across a controlled round of 68. The Singaporean admitted that a few chances escaped her but showed few signs of pressure as she began her pursuit of consecutive victories at DLF.
Simmermacher joined her in second despite finding the water with her third shot on the 18th. The Argentine recovered to save par before making her only bogey at the sixth, her 15th hole of the day.
Pranavi battles illness to remain in contention
Pranavi’s 70 was particularly encouraging as the Asian Games gold medallist played through a stomach illness on one of the LET’s most physically and strategically demanding courses.
“The ailment is not good for this golf course considering how challenging it is,” Pranavi said. “I just had to keep it all together and play, which I did very well.”
Her pairing with Tan added another chapter to a friendship that began during their junior careers more than a decade ago.
The two recently competed against each other at the Asian Games in Japan, where Pranavi won the individual gold and Tan claimed bronze. Despite the intensity of that contest, Tan told the Indian during the closing stages that she hoped Pranavi would win if she could not.
“I was there for her first win at the 2024 Magical Kenya Ladies Open,” Pranavi said. “Shannon was glad that she could be there for my first win as well.”
They could yet find themselves playing together again over the weekend after both opened inside the top five.
Avani puts difficult season behind her
Avani Prashanth
Avani matched Pranavi’s 70 after producing one of her strongest approach-play displays of the season.
The 20-year-old has endured an uneven LET campaign complicated by a back injury involving bulging discs in her lower spine and a demanding nine-week run of tournaments. At one point, her slide down the Order of Merit threatened her playing rights for 2027, but improved results later in the season moved her towards safety.
That relief was evident in a more aggressive performance at DLF.
“My approach game was the best it has ever been,” Avani said. “To be able to attack some of these flags and hit it as close as I did is something I’m happy with.”
Tvesa’s one-under 71 gave India a third player inside the provisional top 10. Diksha Dagar endured a more difficult opening day, posting a five-over 77 to sit tied 62nd.
With Tamburlini setting the pace, Tan beginning her defence strongly and Pranavi and Avani positioned only three shots back, the opening round left both the international and Indian challenges firmly alive heading into Friday.
Photo – HWIO
