Pornanong Phatlum Fires Bogey-Free 65 to Win Record Fourth Hero Women’s Indian Open

• Pornanong Phatlum won the Hero Women’s Indian Open four shots clear of the field.
• Her bogey-free closing 65 gave the Thai a record fourth title in the event.
• India’s Vani Kapoor finished solo second with defending champion Shannon Tan third.

Pornanong Phatlum had not played golf in India for 14 years and had never set foot on the Gary Player Championship Course until this week. On Sunday she went round it without a bogey in 65 and won the Hero Women’s Indian Open for a fourth time.

The 36-year-old started the final round one behind home favourite Vani Kapoor at DLF Golf & Country Club in Delhi and finished on 11-under, four clear. Her first win in the event came in 2008, 18 years ago, and she added titles in 2009 and 2012. All three came on DLF’s Arnold Palmer course, which has since been converted into a nine-hole layout. This one is the 23rd title of her career.

“I’m so happy right now!” Phatlum said. “I didn’t think I was going to win again, but I tried my best. This was a fantastic round for me. Every putt on the front nine dropped in the hole. Today feels incredible.

“I wanted to come back and try my best here again because I have such good memories here – wonderful memories. This is my fourth win here, so it makes me very happy.”

Déjà vu in Delhi 🏆🏆🏆🏆 Pornanong Phatlum wins the Hero Women’s Indian Open for the fourth time at DLF (2008, 2009, 2012 and 2026) #HWIO2026 https://t.co/76nsIC6mWD

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) October 25, 2026

Level at the turn

Kapoor took a one-shot lead into Sunday and was drawn in the final group with Phatlum and Tan, the defending champion. It quickly turned into match play between the Indian and the Thai.

Both birdied the opening par-4, Kapoor chipping in from the back of the green. She birdied the 2nd as well to move two clear. Phatlum replied at the 3rd and then birdied the 5th, 8th and 9th, and the pair made the turn all square.

Kapoor’s tee shot at the 10th took an unlucky kick and she dropped a shot, losing the lead for the first time all day. She birdied the 11th straight back, but bogeys at the 12th and 13th handed Phatlum the advantage again.

Phatlum parred her way through the next stretch, then holed two fine putts for birdies at the 15th and 16th. Two closing pars in front of the gallery completed a four-shot win.

“This year, I almost retired”

Phatlum, an LPGA regular, said the victory had changed her plans for the future.

“This means a lot to me,” she said. “This year, I almost retired from professional golf. But winning again gives me more motivation. I feel like I can still play on tour, and I’ll try my best again next year.

“She [Vani Kapoor] played so well on the front nine, and I just followed her. I tried my best and putted really well today. Everything went in, and I got up and down really well, too. I think they wanted me to win again.”

She accepted Ladies European Tour membership after the win and will tee up at next week’s Wistron Ladies Open in Chinese Taipei.

Kapoor’s best LET finish

Kapoor, a DLF member, reckoned this was her 14th or 15th Hero Women’s Indian Open as a professional. It was the first time she had gone into the final round in front, and she was trying to become only the second Indian winner in the event’s history, after Aditi Ashok in 2016.

She signed for a 2-under 70 and finished solo second on 7-under. It is her best finish on the LET and lifts her to 69th on the Order of Merit.

“I gave it my best, 100%,” Kapoor said. “Everything went according to plan. I don’t think I could have done anything more. I made a lot of birdies, especially considering the amount of pressure there was. I don’t think I would have made so many birdies in a single round before. I made a couple of mistakes too, but that’s part of the game. It’s better to accept it.”

Tan third, Urs and Kouskova share fourth

Tan finished solo third on 4-under. The Singaporean, who also won the LET Order of Merit last season, had been playing through a sore wrist that she was icing and taping between rounds.

Czechia’s Sara Kouskova, who arrived in Delhi off a closing 63 and runner-up finish in Korea, tied for fourth place on 3-under with India’s Pranavi Urs. Urs battled a stomach bug early in the week and rounds off a month in which she also won gold at the Asian Games in Japan.

Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher, who had made only three cuts in 2026 before this week, was solo sixth on 2-under. India’s Tvesa Malik, another DLF member, took solo seventh on 1-under. That gave the home contingent three of the top seven places.

Chiara Tamburlini, who led through 36 holes, lost the lead early on Saturday after dropping two shots in her opening two holes and shot a final round 73 to finish T9 at 2-over.

The LET moves on to Chinese Taipei for the third edition of the Wistron Ladies Open at Sunrise Golf & Country Club, and Phatlum will play it as the tour’s newest member.

 

For the latest news in the golfing world, follow us on X.

Hero Women’s Indian Open Leaderboard.