LET makes an exception for 16-year-old 'underage' Bengalurean
BENGALURU: Ever since golf returned to the Olympic fold, rubbing shoulders with the best in the business and competing at the biggest sporting extravaganza, have been teen wonder Avani Prashanth's dream.
The 16-year-old golfing sensation has made rapid strides in her quest to get there with a clutch of impressive performances in the last couple of years. With the Paris Olympics - beginning in a little over a year - in her sights now, the Bengalurean, who has made the Indian team for the Hangzhou Asian Games in China in September-October, has decided to give up her amateur status and turn pro later this year on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Having dominated the amateur circuit in the country and winner of the Queen Sirikit Cup in Manila early in the year - the only Indian to do so in its 43-year history -Avani feels she is ready to take the plunge.
"I wanted to compete at the Olympics since I was pretty young. Now that I am on the Asian Games team, the Olympics looks a lot more realistic, and I see the only way to get there is for me to turn pro and get the World rankings up," the teenager told TOI before leaving for Amundi German Masters, an event on the Ladies European Tour beginning on Thursday. "I should be able to make it if I just play the way I'm playing now," added the youngster who got an invite into the 300,000-euro pro tournament in Berlin.
Although the LET allows players to compete at the QSchool only after they turn 18, they made an exception following Avani's fine run in two of the three events she played so far. She finished an impressive tied-12th at the Indian Open last October and tied ninth at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open in February this year.
The LET asked Avani's father, Prashanth, to write an underage petition application and recommendation letters from him as to why he thought she was ready, from her coach (Laurence Brotheridge), IGU tournament director (Paramjit Singh) and an LET player (Tvesa Malik).
"Avani's underage petition application was granted by the LET Director of Operations a little over two weeks ago. Besides the recommendation letters, she also had to write a 500-word essay," said Prashanth.
Avani, who could outhit most pros on the LPGA, revealed that the performance at the Indian Open and the Kenya event gave her the belief that she could compete with the pros. "I would say I am ready because I played three LET events and I finished pretty good in them," Avani said.
The teenager feels that her putting is one area that needs to get better. For now, her focus is on the Amundi Masters. "I have played a couple of rounds here (at the KGA) and I have seen my short game improve. A couple of things to fine-tune and then I should be good to go," she said.
