India

PC: Tristian Jones 

Location: Gurugram, India

Course: DLF Golf Club 

My final tournament abroad for the year was the Hero Women's Indian Open, and itt was so exciting traveling to yet another new country to compete! I have heard so many travel stories from friends about India, and it was so fun to finally get to see and experience it all for myself! India is a place full of life and DLF is a golf course unlike one I've ever seen. My first trip here was definitely a memorable one! 

Hero Women's Indian Open Recap 

This was a really fun and different week of golf. Not once did I hit driver! The designer wanted it to be one of the hardest courses in India, so the holes are all extremely narrow and surrounded by hazards. Due to this, it is of utmost importance to keep the ball in play, so my caddie and I made the decision to take the driver out of the bag and stick to our plan of primarily hitting four iron and hybrid off the tee. I opened with a couple under par rounds, but shot a final round one over with a couple three putt. I ended up finishing T36 for the week; you can view the full leaderboard here. It was unfortunate because I felt like I played  a lot better than I scored, but nonetheless it was another great week of learning. I know I can recover well and come back when I haven't gotten off to the best start and I need to continue to minimize mental errors! 

Jenny, Mehar and I on the infamous 17th hole of DLF Golf Club 

This week I had the pleasure of playing in the Pro-Am. It was great to have the opportunity to play and meet these locals. I had such a fun time with my group. 

One of my favorite memories was wearing traditional Indian clothes to the tournament welcome dinner! It was so much fun for me and my tour mate Jenny to dress up in these beautiful Salwar Kameez that we borrowed from a friend. On my next trip to Indian I am going to get my very own Sari made to bring back home! 

Delhi 

sights & Scenes 

The tournament didnt start until Friday so we had some extra time to sightsee on practice round days! Jenny's college teammate from SMU, Mehar, actually lives in Delhi, so she showed us around. It was so awesome to get to see and learn about the city from a local, and we even had the pleasure of staying with her and her family for a few days. And let me tell you, there is nothing like home-cooked Indian food!

Dilli Haat Market

The markets in India are amazing! There are so many different handcrafted items, hundreds of patterns to choose from, and endless colors. Wandering the different booths, trying on shoes, and admiring the Sari materials was so much fun! Dilli Haat market is really special because they have items from all over different parts of Indian. I wanted to buy everything, but I settled for one beautiful handmade rug, pictured right! I'm definitely planning to leave additional space in my luggage to bring things home next year! 

Humanyun's Tomb 

Delhi is city rich and history and there is so much to see! My friend Stacey from South Africa and I explored some of the city's historic sights like Humanyun's Tomb, Lotus Temple and Akshardham Temple. Unfortunately we have no pictures from Akshardham Temple because cameras are not allow inside, but trust me when I say it is a must see if you are ever in Delhi. It is unlike anything I've ever seen! 

Lotus Temple

India was not only full of new sights and new food, but full of new friends! I specifically connected with an incredible couple, Manauv and Preeti! They welcomed me into their home as my flight home got delayed and treated me to an amazing couple extra days. One of the highlights of my time with them was taking a cycling class taught by Preeti! She kills it in the gym and it was awesome to get an extra work out in. I actually spent my birthday with them and they surprised me with gifts and a cake! It was so much fun getting to spend time with them and I can't wait for them to come visit me in San Francisco some time! 

Thanks for the new friends, delicious food and incredible culturally enriching experience India! The history of your country, the people and hustle and bustle are unmatched. Thank you for opening my eyes to new perspective and giving the opportunity to connect with different people. I can not wait to be back next year to play the Indian open again, explore more of India, and see my friends again.