Diksha Dagar leads Women’s Irish Open with bogey-free round

By Rahul Banerji

Diksha Dagar shot a bogey-free 65 to hold the opening round lead on 7 under par at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Dromoland Castle on Thursday.

The two-time LET winner, who began from the 10th tee, was a shot ahead of Indian American Gurleen Kaur and France’s Emma Grechi on 6-under 66s.

Of the other Indians at the event, Ridhima Dilawari shot a level par 72 and was in tied 47^th the second best-placed after Diksha.

Vani Kapoor and Tvesa Malik with 73s were T64 while Amandeep Drall with a 3-over 75 in a share of 99^th place.

Diksha, with the Czech Ladies Open already in her bag this season, had early back-to-back birdies and then again on holes 15 and 16.

She picked up three more shots on the way back to the clubhouse for her 7-under round.

Long season

“It has been a long season, I was taking one shot at a time and not taking it too seriously today,” said the Indian star, who is fifth in the Ladies European Tour’s Order of Merit, the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol.

“I had seven birdies and I’m happy to see myself keeping with the good momentum that I’ve got. I am very good from tee to green, but at the beginning of the season, I was struggling on the greens.

“It was a matter of time; I have been practicing a lot, taking one shot at a time and reading the lines and I have improved in my putting.

“I was thinking this golf course is tough, so I just took it one shot at a time because every shot counts. I have had the same mentality and every year my game improves and so does my thinking process. The more you play, the better you get.”

Gurleen Kaur, whose parents were born in India, is in her rookie season on the LET, and had only one bogey in her round of 66.

Hot putter

“It was good, I putted really well, and I was able to hit the ball well.

“I actually didn’t play the par-fives that well, so I feel I left a couple out there, but otherwise it was a really good starting day.

“I played well last week, a top-15 finish so I was feeling pretty good and played better than I thought. The practice round was playing really tough, it was windy and rainy, so it just felt like it was overall a good day.”

Grechi, with her sister on the bag, began her day on the 10th tee and had a bogey on 14 but bounced back with an eagle on the next hole.

The Frenchwoman then produced back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 before adding three more on her back nine for her round of six-under.

South Africa’s Casandra Alexander and Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley sit one shot further back in a share of fourth place on 5-under 67s.

Seven players were on 4-under 68 with defending champion Klara Davidson Spilkova alongside Austria’s Christine Wolf, England’s Gabriella Cowley and Eleanor Givens, Spain’s Emma Cabrera Bello, France’s Anne-Lise Caudal and Germany’s Sophie Witt.

The 36-hole cut will send the top 60 and ties into the money round.

Also read: Another top 10 for Diksha, tied sixth at ISPS Handa combo event