Diksha tees off in her 100th start on Ladies European Tour

File photo of Indian golf star Diksha Dagar. Image courtesy Ladies European Tour.

By Rahul Banerji

Diksha Dagar scripted a personal landmark by becoming the first Indian to make a 100^th Ladies European Tour start at the Aramco Team Series Korea in Goyang on Thursday.

LET rookie Pranavi Urs, playing alongside Vani Kapoor and team captain Shannon Tan of Singapore shared second place after the opening day with an impressive 3 under par 69.

With five birdies against two bogeys, Pranavi was alongside Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe, one stroke behind early leader Hyo Joo KIm of Korea.

The 23-year-old Diksha, a two time LET winner, also has 16 top 10 finishes on the tour and although it was not the best of starts at the New Korea Country Club, it was nevertheless a day for the record books.

Diksha is currently ninth on the LET Order of Merit.

Diksha has been on a victorious team in the Aramco Team Series at London in 2021.

Her best individual result in the ATS is a shared sixth place, in Tampa, Florida this year.

Big honour

Diksha, who will play in her second Olympics at Paris this August, said, “Representing India is the biggest honour one can have so I am looking forward to my second Olympic appearance.”

She is the only golfer to have played at both the Summer Olympics (2021 Tokyo) and the Deaflympics (2017 and 2021), winning gold at the latter.

Diksha’s two wins on the LET have come at the Investec South African Women’s Open in 2019, and the Czech Ladies Open last year.

“For the present my focus is the LET, where I have won twice and I want to do better,” said Diksha, who has set her sights on the LPGA Tour in the United States.

Last year Diksha was tied third at the Amundi German Masters and the Hero Indian Open and finished in third place on the Order of Merit.

This season the wiry left-hander has had top-10 finishes at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco (9th) and in Tampa (T6). The busiest part of the schedule is still to come with the German Masters next up.

Also read: Diksha Dagar finishes in top 25 at South African Women’s Open