Stiff competition expected in ladies golf

With India's top two leading amateur golfers missing from the draw, the Usha West Bengal Ladies and Junior Girls Amateur Championship is sure to witness stiff competition among 46 ladies who are in the fray for top honours.

Delhi's Gurbani Singh and Bangalore's Aditi Ashok, first and second, respectively, in the Indian Golf Union (IGU) Ladies Order of Merit list, have chosen to skip the event, throwing the field open for the likes of Gauri Monga, Gaurika Bishnoi, Millie Saroha, Amandeep Drall, Riddhima Dilawari and Gursimar Badwal at the Tollygunge Golf Club (TGC) greens.

The event will be played in the stroke-play format over three days and 54 holes and the winner will likely emerge Friday.

Gauri and Gaurika are clear favourites as both are coming off facile wins in Delhi and Gurgaon, respectively, just about a month back when the northern leg of the tour was in progress.

A former IGU tour winner, Gauri clearly has the better pedigree and will be the one to watch out for. She is currently sixth on the merit list and will be determined to get a win under her belt to be in contention for the title with the season coming to an end.

Millie, Gursimar, Amandeep and Ridhima, currently ranked third, fourth, fifth and seventh on the merit list respectively, will strengthen their competition further with their presence. Seher Atwal and Tvesa Malik are the other ladies who have sprung surprises in the past and can be followed.