Women's Golf Association of India

India’s Ridhima Dilawari finishes 7th to earn Tour card in China

Wanning, China, Jan 18:India’s Ridhima Dilawari became only the second Indian and the only one this year to grab full playing rights on the China LPGA Tour. The 21-year-old Delhi-based Ridhima, shot rounds of 72-67-73-69 for a total of seven-under 281 to finish seventh and take one of the 30 cards that were up available this week. Ridhima was T-20thafter the first but moved up to T-5that the halfway stage and was then T-10thafter the third day before finishing seventh.

The 18-year-old Chinese amateur Yin Ruoning from Shanghai won the top honours at CLPGA Q-School with a total of 11-under 277 as she shot 71-67-67-72 at the 6,247-yard, par-72 Dunes at Shenzhou Golf Club West Course designed by Tom Weiskopf.

Ridhima, who played for Columbia College in the US, before turning out for India at the 2018 Asian Games, won on the India pro Tour at the end of 2018. She won on the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour while being an amateur. She turned pro in thee latter half of 2018 and won once again. In 2019 she won five times on the WGAI and last week she won the opening event of the 2020 Hero Women’s Golf Tour season.

Ridhima is the second Indian after Sharmila Nicollet, who won a full card after finishing T-21 in 2018. Sharmila played four events and finished in Top-20 twice and missed the cut twice. She is now playing on the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School.

Yin Ruoning, who was part of the Chinese team that won a bronze medal in Jakarta Asian Games in 2018, will, however, not turn pro immediately as she plans to play 2020 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Pattaya and Blue Bay Masters.

Of the 30 cards that were available 10 each went to players from Japan and Thailand.