GURUGRAM — Ojaswini Saraswat has become the second-youngest player ever to make the cut in a Ladies European Tour event after a stunning recovery at the Hero Women's Indian Open. The 13-year-old followed an opening 79 (+7) on Thursday at the notoriously brutal DLF Golf and Country Club with a joint-lowest second-round 69 (-3) to sit T26th on four-over, comfortably inside the cut mark of nine-over, with Switzerland's Chiara Tamburlini leading on six-under after 36 holes.
Aged 13 years, six months and 14 days, Saraswat now sits behind only Major winner Ariya Jutanugarn on the LET's youngest cut-makers list. The Thai star was 12 when she made the weekend at the 2008 Finnair Masters, a year after qualifying outright for the LPGA Tour's Honda LPGA Thailand. Saraswat's 69 featured seven birdies and four bogeys, with her final three birdies arriving in succession across holes 16 to 18. "I feel great actually. After yesterday's round, I just wanted to play good today because I got to know what mistakes I made," Saraswat told the LET. "I [had] a lot of support from my parents, my brother and my caddie. Playing this tournament made me really excited because last year I watched this tournament, so I was really excited for the tournament."
Saraswat, who began playing golf at the age of three and has won 15 national titles, said sharing the field with her heroes made the week even more special. She pointed to Asian Games gold medallist Pranavi Urs and former Hero Women's Indian Open winner Aditi Ashok as her idols. "I really look up to Pranavi Urs and Aditi Ashok. I mean, they're my idols. I was like 'oh man, Pranavi Urs is playing in this tournament with me!'" she said. "I was really just excited and nervous at the same time because, like, a gold medallist and me - a huge difference!"
Urs is the leading Indian player on home soil, a few strokes back of Tamburlini at the top of the leaderboard. Ten Indian players will contend at the weekend, with Saraswat one of two amateurs left in the field after her historic second round at DLF Golf and Country Club.