Celeste, Smriti head Women's Indian Open field

Gurgaon, Mar 13 (UNI) LPGA star and World Cup winner Celeste Troche of Paraguay and India's Smriti Mehra, a long-time LPGA regular, headline a star-studded field at the DLF Women's Indian Open to be held from March 24-28.

The Indian challenge will be headed by Smriti and Irina Brar.

Other Indian women pros in the field will be Shalini Malik, Sanniya Sharma, Nalini Singh, Nonita Lall Qureshi, Seema Sobti, Pallavi Jain, Preet Inder Kaur and Vandana Aggarwal among others.

Among the amateur challengers will be the teen brigade, Tanya Wadhwa, Sharmila Nicollet, Meher Atwal and Neha Tripathi.

Apart from Celeste, who is a two-time runner-up on the Futures Tour, others who will feature in the event are Australia's Sunny Park, Brazilian Iida Maria Priscila and China's Wang Chun.

Japan has one of the strongest contingents at the DLF Women's Indian Open with nine players. Shiraki Rie, a champion at the 2007 Guam Governer's Cup in USA Guam, and Sakurai Yuki, a rookie who was in 5th of 2008 MFS Womens Australian Open held in January, are the pick of the lot.

Thailand's prodigious talent Phatlum Pornanong, who won the Thailand Open this year, has also confirmed her participation.

UNI XC AB CS HT1700