By Rahul Banerji
Three birdies over the final four holes helped overnight leader Diksha Dagar maintain her advantage at the halfway point of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open on Friday.
Starting off with a bogey, Diksha ended the day with a 3 under par 69 at Dromoland Castle for a two-day aggregate of 10 under par 134.
Three other Indians – Vani Kapoor, Ridhima Dilawari and Tvesa Malik – made the cut while Amandeep Drall missed out.
Vani was tied 45th on 1 under 143, Ridhima shared 51st place on level par 144 with successive 72s and Tvesa made it on the bubble, 1-over 145 in shared 59th place.
Diksha, a two-time winner on the Ladies European Tour was soon out of arrears with back-to-back birdies on holes five and six before another dropped shot on 14, the LET said.
Winner of the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open this June, Diksha picked up pace towards the end of the round and broke out of a four-way tie with birdie on 18 to take a one-shot lead into the weekend.
“Today, I struggled a little bit because I played very well yesterday,” Diksha said on the LET website. “I handled it very well today and finished with a respectable score of three-under.
Long conversion
“On the 17th hole I had a long birdie putt, I thought wow yes because I was feeling a little bad on 16 as I missed a birdie putt. I was making a target that I should finish on a respectable score of two or three-under.
“Making a birdie on 17… made me feel confident and I attacked the flag on 18 and I had a very good putt left. The weekend is going to be a very good experience, I’m getting used to it and I’m going to feel good and stay focused.”
Behind the left-hander was a three-way tie for second place between Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands, American rookie Gurleen Kaur, and France’s Emma Grechi on 9 under par.
Five-time LET winner Van Dam had a 6 under 66 on the day, swapping one dropped shot for seven birdies.
“It was really good, I have been playing really solid,” Van Dam said later. “I haven’t missed many shots which is always nice, I’m putting it nicely so overall I feel pretty good about everything.
“My driver shaft cracked on the flight on the way out here, but Callaway managed to get it here right before my tee time. It’s always tricky putting in a new shaft but today I was hitting it really well.
Aggressive lines
“I’m super thankful because a driver on this course is a big favour, I can carry a lot of the bunkers and be more aggressive on the par-fives. I’m very pleased. It also has a new grip on it, so that feels a bit nicer.”
LET rookie Kaur shot a 66 on the opening day and followed that up with a 3 under 69 on day two. Gurleen bogeyed the fourth hole but bounced back with a birdie on five before another dropped shot on eight.
However, a hole-out eagle on nine saw the 23-year-old regain momentum and she picked up birdies on 11 and 17 on her way to a 135 total.
“I’m happy to have put together a good round again. It was a long day with rain on and off, but a great day,” Gurleen said.
“On nine, I had 40 yards and my ball hit the green once and then dunked in. It was good to make the turn at one-under. On 18, I thought I got through and saw it was in a flowerbed. I pulled it a touch; it was a good recovery from there.
“It’s been so much fun! It’s been great to have such big crowds and I love it when people come and watch.
Performance pressure
“It’s not my first time being in one of the last groups, there’s always that pressure but there’s still two more days too and I will just try to play the same golf that I have been.”
Frenchwoman Anne-Lise Caudal was outright fifth ahead of a four-way tie for sixth place between Spain’s Elena Hualde, Lisa Petterson of Sweden, and England duo Meghan MacLaren and Alice Hewson on 7 under 137.
Three players shared tenth place with Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby, Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom and Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley all on 6-under-par.
The cut fell at 1 over 145, with 70 making it through to the money rounds at Dromoland Castle.
Also read: Diksha Dagar leads Women’s Irish Open with bogey-free round
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