Women's Indian Open 2025 returns with enhanced prize purse; Diksha to spearhead the Indian challenge

New Delhi [India], September 17 (ANI): The Women's Pro Golf Tour has been instrumental in developing and promoting women's golf in India, providing a strong domestic platform for emerging talent to compete and grow. This robust tour plays a vital role in preparing India's top golfers for international competition, culminating each year in the Hero Women's Indian Open (HWIO), a release said.
Set to take place from October 9-12, 2025, at the DLF Golf and Country Club, the HWIO is South Asia's biggest women's golf tournament and a key event on the Ladies European Tour calendar. This year, the tournament purse has been increased by 25%, rising from $400,000 to $500,000, with the winner set to earn $75,000.
Leading the Indian charge at the HWIO will be Diksha Dagar, one of India's top women golfers and a consistent contender in recent editions.
Since its inception in 2007, the Hero Women's Indian Open has showcased the rise of Indian women golfers on the global stage. While Aditi Ashok remains the only Indian to have won the tournament (in 2016), recent years have seen multiple Indian players making strong bids for the title, including Amandeep Drall, who was runner-up in 2022, and Diksha Dagar, who finished third in 2023.
Sanjay Bhan, Executive Vice President, Hero MotoCorp, said, "The Hero Women's Indian Open reflects our strong commitment to encourage sport and promote women's participation. Since 2010, we have proudly supported this tournament and helped strengthen women's golf in India and beyond. This year, with a prize purse of USD 500,000, we aim to attract top international talent to the tournament and to inspire more women to take up the sport."
The release said almost all the top Indian women will be participating in the HWIO, and they will face a strong challenge from the international players. More than half a dozen Indian women have been playing regularly on the Ladies European Tour, which has a very strong relationship with the Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI).
Alexandra Armas, CEO of the LET, said, "The Hero Women's Indian Open has become a constant on the LET schedule and takes place at an important time in the season with players looking to consolidate or improve their ranking in the LET Order of Merit. This is an event the players look forward to year on year, and we can't wait to return to DLF G&CC, a top-quality golf course, next month. We are immensely proud of our long-standing partnership with the WGAI, which continues to inspire generations of female golfers across the country. We are excited to work with our long-term partners in India once again to ensure another hugely successful event."
The early entries include the defending champion, Liz Young of England and the current 2025 Order of Merit leader, Mimi Rhodes, who is showing noticeable talent even while being in her rookie year.
Past LET Order of Merit winners, Switzerland's Chiara Tamburlini (2024) and Thailand's Trichat Cheenglab (2023) are also participating. Recent winners like Alice Hewson of England, Shannon Tan of Singapore, Darcey Hall and Sara Kouskova have also sent in their entries. The last date for entries is still open, and more confirmations are expected in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
The DLF Golf and Country Club will be hosting the event for the 15th time and is rightly called the "Home of Indian women's golf. Barring two times, when the new course was being designed by the legendary Gary Player, the DLF Golf and Country Club has hosted every edition since 2007. The award-winning course is in excellent condition and is considered one of the best in India and the South Asian region.
The practice rounds will be held on October 7 and 8, and the first round will be held on October 9 and finish on October 12, 2025. (ANI)