Avani Prashanth
15-year-old Avani Prashanth, the recently crowned Indian Women’s All-India champion, has received an invitation to the highly prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur scheduled for March 31 – April 2, 2022, becoming the first Indian to be honoured thus.
The invitation is a reward for Prashanth’s high world rankings fuelled by excellent recent performances on both the amateur and pro circuit in India and overseas. Prashanth won the All India Junior Championship and the stroke play and match play titles at the All India Amateur Championships. She also finished 16th in the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi and is currently ranked 128th in the world amateur rankings. But she’s among the highest ranked 15 year olds in the world.
“It feels great and I’m still pinching myself in delight,” Avani told Deccan Herald. “Every golfer who plays the sport desires and dreams about playing at the Augusta National Golf Club. It’s a badge of honour to be playing at the Augusta National Golf Club, one of the most famous courses in the world. For me to get an invite to play there is extra special.”
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur is now in it’s third year and is held the week preceding The Masters. It is a 54-hole stroke play that features 72 of the top women amateurs from around the world. The tournament is split between two venues, with Champions Retreat hosting the opening rounds on Wednesday and Thursday. A practice round at Augusta National is played on Friday with the full field. The field is then cut to the top 30 players (with a playoff for the last spots if necessary) for the final round Saturday at Augusta National.
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The winner of the tournament receives invitations to the next five Augusta National Women Amateurs, that year’s U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s British Open, and any USGA, R&A, and PGA of America amateur events for which she is otherwise eligible for one year, providing she remains an amateur.
Avani has also been invited to play a week before the Augusta event at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational for boys and girls in South Carolina which will help her acclimatise herself to local conditions.
No doubt a great few weeks for Avani are coming up in March. But for now she has exams to complete !