<p>Bengaluru: A big challenge for the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI), since its inception in 2004, has been to increase the pool of professional players on its Tour.</p>.<p>With the sport in the country experiencing considerable growth over the last two decades, it is but natural to expect a thriving women’s golfing circuit. In reality, at least in context of the numbers that still linger around 50 golfers, the development has been painstakingly slow owing to various factors.</p>.<p>The WGAI now joining hands with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), is expected to be the much-needed game-changer for Indian women’s golf. This was the shared sentiment top Indian pros - Vani Kapoor and Ridhima Dilawari - expressed during an online interaction on Tuesday.</p>.<p>“This is the start of a new era for Indian golf,” says 31-year-old Vani. “Equal prize money with a new format makes it exciting to be a part of. Now the youngsters will look at golf as a career option. It is an opportunity to grow together as a golfing community,” points the Order of Merit (OoM) leader with four wins on WGAI this season. </p>.<p>Ridhima, second on OoM, feels the IGPL promises to be a platform for women golfers to express themselves. </p>.Feeding off of rule book for the love of golf .<p>“There are so many of us doing well on different tours. We deserve the limelight. India has an appetite for sports and this will give us a chance to showcase our stories for more people to know about us,” said the 27-year-old. </p>.<p>While Vani has been a professional since 2012, Ridhima turned pro in 2019. An integral part of the WGAI, both the girls from Delhi, stress that the growth lies in the quality and depth of the field and not in the numbers. </p>.<p>“Yes, there might be only a few of us.. say 40-50 pro golfers in India. But look at how many out of this limited pool have moved on to play on the bigger tours outside,” says Ridhima as Vani adds: “There are 15-20 of us competing around the world. Today, if a player finishes no. 1 on WGAI, she gets four spots on the LET (Ladies European Tour).” </p>.<p>For Champika Sayal, secretary general of WGAI, other than IGPL potentially playing a role in strengthening women’s golf in the country, she feels that the mixed format league will be good preparation for the new mixed team competition added as the third medal event in golf at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. </p>.<p>“Competing together will help build team spirit. This is the type of evolution that golf in India needed. </p>.<p>“The visibility of female golfers through IGPL, hopefully, will also attract more sponsors to bring international tournaments to India. The plan is to get an international event somewhere in Karnataka because they have some really good courses. This will happen in the near future.”</p>
<p>Bengaluru: A big challenge for the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI), since its inception in 2004, has been to increase the pool of professional players on its Tour.</p>.<p>With the sport in the country experiencing considerable growth over the last two decades, it is but natural to expect a thriving women’s golfing circuit. In reality, at least in context of the numbers that still linger around 50 golfers, the development has been painstakingly slow owing to various factors.</p>.<p>The WGAI now joining hands with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), is expected to be the much-needed game-changer for Indian women’s golf. This was the shared sentiment top Indian pros - Vani Kapoor and Ridhima Dilawari - expressed during an online interaction on Tuesday.</p>.<p>“This is the start of a new era for Indian golf,” says 31-year-old Vani. “Equal prize money with a new format makes it exciting to be a part of. Now the youngsters will look at golf as a career option. It is an opportunity to grow together as a golfing community,” points the Order of Merit (OoM) leader with four wins on WGAI this season. </p>.<p>Ridhima, second on OoM, feels the IGPL promises to be a platform for women golfers to express themselves. </p>.Feeding off of rule book for the love of golf .<p>“There are so many of us doing well on different tours. We deserve the limelight. India has an appetite for sports and this will give us a chance to showcase our stories for more people to know about us,” said the 27-year-old. </p>.<p>While Vani has been a professional since 2012, Ridhima turned pro in 2019. An integral part of the WGAI, both the girls from Delhi, stress that the growth lies in the quality and depth of the field and not in the numbers. </p>.<p>“Yes, there might be only a few of us.. say 40-50 pro golfers in India. But look at how many out of this limited pool have moved on to play on the bigger tours outside,” says Ridhima as Vani adds: “There are 15-20 of us competing around the world. Today, if a player finishes no. 1 on WGAI, she gets four spots on the LET (Ladies European Tour).” </p>.<p>For Champika Sayal, secretary general of WGAI, other than IGPL potentially playing a role in strengthening women’s golf in the country, she feels that the mixed format league will be good preparation for the new mixed team competition added as the third medal event in golf at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. </p>.<p>“Competing together will help build team spirit. This is the type of evolution that golf in India needed. </p>.<p>“The visibility of female golfers through IGPL, hopefully, will also attract more sponsors to bring international tournaments to India. The plan is to get an international event somewhere in Karnataka because they have some really good courses. This will happen in the near future.”</p>