Singapore, Jun 13 (PTI) After losing a major part of the 2023 season to a recurrent back injury, promising teenager Hitaashee Bakshi wants to make up for the lost time by playing as many tournaments as possible and her next stop would be Singapore Ladies Masters which will be her fifth event in under eight weeks.
The 19-year-old Hitaashee is one of the three Indians who will be seen in action this week. The others are Seher Atwal, a winner on her domestic Tour in India, and promising amateur Mahreen Bhatia, 16, but who has won the Faldo Series events in Dubai and Vietnam, and medals at the US Kids in European and World Championships.
Hitaashee, who turns 20 next month, has won six times on her home Tour, the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour, where she also leads the 2024 Order of Merit.
“I lost a lot of time in 2023 due to injuries and now that I am fit and playing well, I want to try and play as much as I can,” said Hitaashee.
“I got an invite here and before that I played three events on the Thai LPGA, where I won the Q-School. I also played in a Taiwan LPGA event which was held in the Philippines.” Hitaashee, who has won twice Hero WPGT this year in India, has been in fine form. In six starts, she won twice, was second three times and was once fourth. In four international starts, she has been in top-20 each time.
“It is a tough grind, but I am willing to work my way up. The Laguna Golf Resort is a fantastic course. I have played it in the past as an amateur and I love the course. The greens are amazing, nice and quick.” The money Hitaashee is making on the domestic Tour in India is what she is investing as she travels abroad to play bigger events.
“I am willing to go out and give it all,” she said with a smile.
Mahreen, who is playing alongside professionals outside India for the first time, was thrilled to be among very young and talented pros from 14 different countries in a field of 132.
“I just want to focus and play my game and not take any pressure. It is a great opportunity for me, and I have a lot of golf coming up in the next few months. So, I am looking forward to this week.” The USD 100,000 Singapore Ladies Masters in 2023 was won by Singapore’s Shannon Tan, who turned pro six months later and won on the Ladies European Tour, where she is now a regular.
A little over a year and a half, Hitaashee and her elder sister, Jahnavi, were among the Indians who featured as the stars to watch for in a BBC film, the Rise of Indian Women’s golf.
Hitaashee, younger of the two by almost two years, won first in late 2020, while Jahnavi won four times in 2020-21. In 2022, Hitaashee starred with three wins. Then injuries struck both. Back problems and knee problems hit them hard. There were no wins in 2023 and Jahnavi has not played since late 2022.
Source: PTI News
