By Matt Smith
When Olivia Cowan spoke to Golf Digest Middle East in July, she was waiting for her first victory on the Ladies European Tour.

The German insisted she was happy with her game and if she keeps doing what she is doing, that elusive victory would come soon enough.

True to her word, on Sunday in her 96th start on the LET, Cowan was holding aloft hew maiden trophy thanks to a brilliant final round of 68 to win the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

Prior to the weekend, she had achieved 27 top-10 finishes, but had yet to taste victory. All that changed at the DLF Golf and Country Club.

Cowan’s 13-under 275 total allowed her to ease to a three-stroke victory ahead of home favourite Amandeep Drall and Caroline Hedwall and claim the silverware and the $60,000 winner’s cheque.

The emotional 26-year-old said: “I have come close a few times, but I am so happy to get over the line. I love coming here and this is going to be one of my most memorable moments and I will come back again to try and win this trophy again.”

“I was quite relaxed. To be honest. The whole weekend. I wasn’t really thinking of winning this time. I just wanted to go out there and have a good mindset and just play good golf. I was playing good golf so I just decided to trust that and come out today and just see what happens.”

Cowan’s previous two visits to India produced finishes of T19 in 2017 and T9 in 2018 and this year her best on the Tour was T4 in her home event, the Amundi German Masters.

“I was aware of what can happen even on the last hole,” Cowan, who let a two-stroke lead slip at last year’s Aramco Team Series — Jeddah. “In the morning before the start, I knew I had a chance because I was only one back. But on the course, I was not comfortable or sure until the end, because anything can happen.

“Maybe after the birdie on 17th, I felt I could win, but on this course nothing is for sure.”

Victory for Cowan sees her move up to 19th in the 2022 Race to Costa del Sol standings, with 890.37 points from 13 events.

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