Diksha finishes well to take a T15th place at Epson Tour event

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Diksha Dagar
File photo of two-time LET winner Diksha Dagar who is currently playing Epson Tour events in the US. Image courtesy WGAI.

By Rahul Banerji

Two-time Ladies European Tour winner Diksha Dagar earned a merited share of 15th place at the IOA Golf Classic in Longwood, Florida over the weekend.

The left-handed Diksha shot a closing 4-under par 67 to rise up the leader board at the Epson Tour event after making the cut on the line in shared 58th place with cards of 74 and 71. The Tokyo Olympian was 1 under 212, 10 shots behind the winner.

With two top-10 placings on the LET so far this season, she was in America for the Aramco Team Series Tampa, where she was tied sixth earlier in the month and will play the Epson Tour’s Atlantic Beach Classic this week.

The Epson Tour sends its top 10 finishers into the LPGA and also the next 24 directly into Stage 3 of the LPGA qualifying tournament.

On the final day at Longwood, Diksha had eight birdies against a double bogey and one late dropped shot at the Alaqua Country Club where Taipei’s Jessica Peng took her first title in seven years as a professional.

Long wait

Peng shot a closing 67 with five birdies against one bogey to beat overnight leader Lindsey McCurdy who had a 72 on the final day by one stroke, 11 under 202 to 10 under 203.

Korea’s Kum-Kang Park (68-68-68) was third and Dewi Weber (66-66-73) fourth.

Starting four shots behind McCurdy, Peng made birdies on the first two holes to get within two shots of the leaders before their first putts had even dropped, the tour website said.

From there on, the 30-year-old played consistent golf and dropped her only shot of the round well after the turn.

“I didn’t know what was going on with the leaderboard, but I knew that I was still up there,” said Peng on epsontour.com.

“I tried not to look at the leaderboard and on 17 I told myself ‘It is not important how you started, it is important how you finish’ so I knew I had to make that birdie and whatever happens, it does not matter.

“I finally achieved my long-term and short-term goals at the same time,” Peng added. “It is my first career win, and it has been seven years now. It feels great. I thought this would be my last year as a tour player, but I think after this win, I will keep going.”

Also read: Diksha shared sixth at Aramco Team Series Tampa, Pranavi T17th

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