New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Seventeen-year-old Gauri Monga will spearhead the Indian challenge along with Vani Kapoor and Aditi Ashok in the 33rd Queen Sirikit Cup Golf from March 9-11 here at the Delhi Golf Club.
The captain for the Indian team will be Rita Punwani. She is also the chairperson of the Indian Golf Union Ladies Committee. The coach will be Nonita Lall Qureshi, who herself has played the Queen Sirikit Cup a record 15 times.
While Gauri and Vani share the same age, Aditi Ashok at 12 becomes the youngest-ever Indian to play the Sirikit Cup. She also shares the record for being the youngest with 12-year-old Lydia Ko, who played for New Zealand in 2010.
The event, which was first started in 1979, has been staged in India twice before in 1986 and 1998.
The three-day event also called the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Invitational Golf Championships, but popularly known as Queen Sirikit Cup, features teams from 14 countries. The three-day event will be preceded by two practice rounds March 7 and 8.
‘India has been actively involved in the amateur women’s golf movement in Asia and we are proud to hold the record of having participated in each of the previous 32 editions. With the return of the Championships to India for the third, our team will reach a new level,’ said Punwani.
India has a long association with the Championship and is one of the only three countries to have played in each of the 32 previous editions.
Rohit Amin, President of the Indian Golf Union (IGU) said he is happy with progress of golf in India.
‘Amateur Golf has been growing rapidly in the country. We are very proud of the fact that the IGU has consistently thrown up young and new talent that has gone on to make India proud at the international platform like Asian Games and other major amateur events.
‘I am sure the Queen Sirikit Cup is another addition in this direction.’
Korea, one of the strongest golf playing nations among women, has won the title 13 times, followed by Australia (8 times) and Japan six times. New Zealand (3) and Chinese Taipei (2) have been the other winners. Interestingly, Korea played in the inaugural event in 1979 but then did not participate in the next seven editions.
