Aditi, Diksha set for AIG Women’s Open, year’s final major

By Rahul Banerji 

India’s two leading lights in women’s professional golf, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar tee off at the year’s final major, the AIG Women’s Open, at Walton Heath in England on Thursday.

Both have had a successful year with a title apiece on the Ladies European Tour. While Aditi made it to the weekend rounds at the previous major, the Evian Championship in France a fortnight ago, Diksha missed out.

Aditi will open her campaign at Walton Heath with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who was disqualified at the Evian for not marking her card correctly, and Italian Valentina Rossi.

Diksha plays alongside Celine Borge and Gina Kim at her second Women’s Open and will be hoping to make her first cut at a major after missing out in her three previous starts.

Aditi will be appearing in her 27^th major where she has had a best finish of shared 22^nd at the Women’s Open in 2018. This will be her seventh start at the event.

Good record

Aditi has won four times on the LET including her first title, the Hero Women Indian Open back in 2016, while Diksha has won twice, the Women’s South African Open in her rookie season and the Czech Ladies Open this year.

South African Ashleigh Buhai is back to defend her title at Walton Heath in Surrey, following which she went on to add the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, the 2023 Investec South African Women’s Open and the 2023 ShopRite LPGA Classic to her resume.

The field also includes Frenchwoman Celine Boutier, who is coming off back-to-back victories at the Amundi Evian Championship and the Women’s Scottish Open.

Boutier’s Evian win was her maiden major on home and with her two victories, she has climbed to number three in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Reflecting on her past two weeks, the Solheim Cup winner told the LET website she was a little bit tired but still finding it hard to believe what she has achieved in such a short space of time.

Dream run

“I’m feeling good. I’m definitely a little bit tired physically, but I’m just really trying to recover and rest as much as I can before Thursday.

“It was always something I always dreamt of doing in my career.

“Winning a major at home is something you definitely want to do and to be able to do it two weeks ago with the crowds and with some of my family and friends there was definitely something that I probably will never forget.

Also in the field are World Golf Rankings no. 1 Nelly Korda and 19-time LPGA Tour winner Lydia Ko. Ten past champions are also set to tee it up in Surrey including all of the world’s top 10 and 14 of 15 winners on the LPGA in 2023.

Also read: Aditi finishes midpack as Boutier marks French win at Evian C’ship