Armed with a wealth of experience, Avani set for Women’s Amateur in Pattaya; 6 Indians in the field
V Krishnaswamy
Pattaya, Thailand, Nov 1: It was almost exactly a year ago at the very event, in the 2021 edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship in Abu Dhabi, that Avani Prashanth got her first major exposure on the international platform.
In the year that has passed, a lot has changed. The Bangalore girl is richer in experience, grown taller in height and stature and above all attained a maturity that goes beyond her age of 16, that she just turned four weeks ago.
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship is run by the R&A and this week’s winner has a wealth of big ticket starts awaiting them. The winner gets to tee off at two Majors, The Women’s Open and the Evian Championships, besides getting into the coveted Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Hana Financial Championship in Korea.
The WAAP tournament which started in 2018 also got a major boost this morning, when its first winner, Atthaya Thitikul reached the very top as the World’s No. 1 professional. Indeed a lot to up for those, who follow her.
In one year Avani has risen from 157 to 115; notched up her first Top-12 in a pro international event at the Hero Women’s Indian Open. She has played at the famed Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA); played at the R&A Women’s Amateur, the Queen Sirikit Cup, the World Amateurs Team event and locked a place in the Indian team for the Asian Games, originally slated for 2022 but which will now take place in 2023.
Avani leads a young team of six players, four of whom, including herself, played at the 2021 WAAP. Avani finished T-16 and the others were Sifat Sagoo (T-25), Kriti Chowhan (T-34) and Nishna Patel (Missed cut). Two girls, Mannat Brar and Ceerat Kang are playing the WAAP for the first time.
Of Avani’s 11 international appearances since the 2021 WAAP, 10 have been outside India and she has played famous courses like the Augusta National, Carnoustie and the Le Golf National.
She smiles and says, “I have learnt a lot from travelling and playing in different courses, different countries and in different conditions. I am looking forward to this week.”
It is not just Avani, who has travelled long distances. But her shots, too, travel greater distances. Her father, Prashanth, who often accompanies her, says, “I think her biggest gain has been the experience she has gained by playing and adapting to different playing conditions from Links to Parkland courses, back to Links. After playing on some of the toughest courses such as Carnoustie and Le Golf National, which has 155 slope rating, she has become fearless and can adapt to all conditions.”
She gained significantly in distance; her swing speed has gone up from 96-97 mph to 101-102 mph and she is hitting her irons very well.
Prashanth adds, “Her ball striking has become much better and hits her long irons really well. Her wedge play has also got better.”
Avani’s wealth of experience stands out in this company, though Sifat Sagoo, who played for India at the 2018 Asian Games, is now at Purdue University and plays a lot of college golf.
Nishna’s international exposure is limited to the WAAP last year and this year’s Women’s Amateur Team Championship in France. Kriti Chowhan’s only outing was the 2021 WAAP, where she was T-34 and like Mannat Brar, she missed the cut at the Hero Women’s Indian Open.
That apart most of the girls have played the domestic Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour, where Avani has won a few times and tallied up a bunch of Top-5 finishes.
Mannat says she is inspired by Amandeep Drall, who two weeks ago came second at the Ladies European Tour event, the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurugram. She often plays with Amandeep and picks her brains.
Ceerat Kang like Avani, Kriti and Nishna is trained by Laurence Brotheridge, who takes lessons online from Leeds, UK.
This is a young team with big dreams and this week will give them a lot to take back.
