After making history, Avani Prashanth shoots for the stars

Avani Prashanth was not at her best for the bulk of the Ahlsell Final golf tournament in Sweden.

Avani shot an even par in the first round, with two bogies and two birdies, to lie tied-18th. The second round went only marginally better — a one-under 71 taking her to tied-eighth. She entered the championship round a good four shots behind the leader.

A poor start to the final round — bogeys on the first and fourth holes — left Avani way off the pace.

The time had come to go for broke. Avani turned to fellow golfer and good friend Vidhatri Urs, who carried her bags after missing the cut, for reassurance. Avani and Vidhatri agreed that all was not lost yet. A few good holes could turn things around.

Mounting a comeback

What followed was a mighty comeback. The Bengaluru teenager sank three birdies and an eagle on the back-nine — an incredible run that powered her all the way to the title.

The eagle on the par-5 14th, in particular, gave Avani the belief that it could be her day. It was set up by an accurate 5-wood shot from 220 yards which landed five feet from the pin. “When I saw the leaderboard on the 17th hole, I realised that the eagle was very important,” Avani said.

The five-under 67 round ensured that Avani finished one shot ahead of her nearest rivals and home favourites, Isabell Ekstrom and Matilda Bjorkman. Avani became the first Indian to win on the LET Access Series — the official development tour for the Ladies European Tour.

The tournament win, which came just months after Avani claimed the prestigious Queen Sirikit Cup title, underlined the 16-year-old’s growing reputation as the most talented young golfer in the nation.

Breathe, swing, repeat: Avani says giving herself more breathing room — by respecting the golf course and staying patient —has made a big difference to her match-play. | Photo credit: Getty Images

Avani offered praise to her stand-in caddie Vidhatri, who guided her through a stressful front-nine. “After the two early bogeys, it was good to talk to Vidhatri and calm myself. It was great having her around as a stressbuster. Vidhatri was confident that I could get it done on the back-nine, as she has seen me do it before,” Avani said.

The triumph at Elisefarm Golf Club has given Avani the confidence that she belongs with the best. “This is a huge source of reassurance, especially because the last couple of events did not go my way. I’m feeling very positive with the Asian Games coming up,” she said.

It took a change in mindset for Avani to turn the corner. “I learnt to be patient. I knew this was a tough course, so I did not expect to shoot very low scores. I was fine with missing a few birdies here and there, because I knew that I could make up for it later. This was a big change. Giving myself some breathing space — by respecting the course for its difficulty — made a big difference,” she said.

Training tough

Avani explained that practising on her home KGA course in Bengaluru has helped her game in a big way. The KGA is tight on the fairways, allowing little to no room for bad drives. This provides a great training ground for her.

“The KGA is a tough course because it is very narrow. There are only a few holes where you can afford to miss big. Since I’ve played so many rounds at KGA, the courses abroad do not seem narrow to me,” she said.

Avani will soon take a giant leap forward in her career. She plans to give up her amateur status and turn pro by competing in the Ladies European Tour (LET) Q-School in December this year. If she does well on this qualifying tour, she will earn a full card on the LET.

“The next goal is to play on the LPGA Q-School and earn an LPGA card in 2025,” Avani added.

Her immediate focus, meanwhile, is on the Asian Games, which commences in Hangzhou later this month. Avani, Pranavi Urs (Vidhatri’s elder sister) and Aditi Ashok will represent India in the women’s team event.

On the straight and narrow: Practising at her home KGA course in Bengaluru — it is tight on the fairways, allowing little room for bad drives — has helped the 16-year-old’s game develop. | Photo credit: Murali Kumar K

“We have the best team. I also have my eyes on the individual event. I want gold in both events,” Avani said.

Avani is fortunate to have the full support of her father, M.S. Prashanth, who has played the game. As a source of encouragement, support and technical guidance, Prashanth is the pillar behind Avani’s success.

“His importance is something I cannot put into words. It is great when he travels with me; he acts as my coach. Whenever things go wrong, I reach out to him. He tells me what to work on, and we fix the issues together,” she said.

Working with data

Prashanth and Avani believe that data and statistics can be used as a learning tool in golf.

“He [Prashanth] understands the game very well. He loves data, and because of him, I have gotten into data as well. After each round, I enter the data into a [golf stats tracking] app called Upgame. I enter my data regardless of whether I have had a good or bad round. If I’ve had a bad round, I will get an idea of what has gone wrong and what I should correct before the next round. It is an objective approach; it removes negative emotions,” Avani said.

Asked if these types of applications are widely prevalent in professional golf, she replied, “I don’t see many golfers using it. It takes around 20 minutes to enter all the data, so some golfers might be lazy to get it done.”

Avani’s ultimate, long-term aim is to inspire kids to take up the sport. “I would like to do what Tiger Woods did. I want to inspire a whole new generation of golfers. I want golf to become an accessible sport for everyone in India. I want young girls to pick up the sport. The image of golf is that it is an old man’s sport, but this is not true. Golf is a great teacher of life skills — it makes you responsible and independent.”