By Rahul Banerji
Diksha Dagar closed with a birdie for a 5 under par 67 to sit one shot behind leader Madelene Stavnar of Norway on the opening day of the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on Thursday.
On a day no clear pattern emerged in the scoring, Madelene was the only one in the top 10 to bring in a bogey-free 6 under 66 card, DLF golfer Vani Kapoor taking third place with a 4 under 68.
Amateurs Vidhatri Urs (2 under 70) and Avani Prashanth (71) made it four Indians in the top 15, one of the strongest showings by the home contingent at the Hero Women’s Indian Open in recent years.
Gaurika Bishnoi, a top-10 finisher last year was level par for the day and in tied 17th place with 12 others as the next best-placed Indian in the 120-strong field, giving home fans plenty to cheer about on a fruitful opening day.
“It was a slow start for me today because on the 11th hole, I was confused with the club selection. So I wasn’t confident about the tee shot,” Diksha said later. “But it was alright, afterwards I hit six birdies and I had a solid round.
Hot putter
“On the 10th hole, I made a very long birdie putt (35 feet) which was uphill and then down a slope. Most importantly, putting was the main thing and I putted well today.
“As far as tomorrow is concerned, I love morning rounds,” Diksha, who had a 11.25 am tee-off on Thursday said.
“I prefer to play in the morning. You don’t have to play under the sun because in the afternoon it can get hot. Hopefully, today’s momentum will continue tomorrow.”
For Stavnar, currently 41st in the Race to Costa Del Sol and runner-up behind Germany’s Alexandra Fosterling at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open last month, it was all about riding the momentum as her round went on.
“I’m very happy,” the 22-year-old said. “It’s one of those days where golf feels a little bit easier than others. This course is not easy so a 66 will do very nicely to begin with.
“I played really steady and think I hit 17 greens today which obviously makes things a little easier. But still, the greens are not too easy. I just felt I did a really good job both mentally and technically.
Fun course
“I really like this golf course. It’s a fun one and the no holes are the same. It brings a new challenge on every hole and I think it suits me quite well because you did to hit it pretty straight. I’m just enjoying myself and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
DLF product Vani Kapoor bookended two bogeys against six birdies in her 68 and said staying patient had worked for her on the day.
“I had a good stretch of birdies, four of them back to back I think from 13 to 16. Yeah so that was good and just kept riding on them and then I had a little bad patch going down. I gave myself a lot of chances, stayed patient throughout, and I think that’s something that worked.
“I think my game has been good throughout the year, but unfortunately all the scores haven’t been coming together. It just comes in patches. And for that reason, I’ve just been making cuts, but I haven’t had any good finishes.
“It’s pretty annoying and frustrating. But at the same time, I’m always really excited because I know I’m really close to making it happen and playing some good golf.”
Germany’s Aline Krauter and Big Green Egg Open winner Trichat Cheenglab of Thailand were tied for fourth on 3 under 69s, a shot ahead of Vidhatri, England’s Hannah Burke, Swedes Lisa Pettersson and Johanna Gustavsson, and Sanna Nuutinen of Finland.
Solid round
“It was a pretty solid round today,” Krauter noted. “I played consistently which is super important on this course.
“I don’t think there’s one hole where you can take your mind off things so you always have to be 100% committed to things and I think my caddie and I did that super well today.
“This is my first time in India and I am liking it so far. I love Indian food so I think that’s probably helpful!”
For the Mysore-based Vidhatri, it was the best possible start to the national Open.
“I’ve played a few times here in the WGAI professional events here. The course setup is really good and the greens and everything else.”
Vidhatri picked up three shots against one bogey on her back nine after swapping two birdies against as many dropped shots in her first nine holes.
“I knew the course was going to be a little tight today so I just wanted to finish it in pars. And then on the back nine a few holes were pretty easy. So I just went for it.
“Playing with the professionals you will improve a lot and you learn more, so that helps you to play well in IGU events competing against the other amateurs. It’s a good experience playing with the professionals.”
Added the Bangalore-based Avani, who earlier this year became the first Indian to win the Queen Sirikit Cup, “It took a bit of time for me to get used to the greens because they were playing pretty slow in the morning.
Good execution
“But otherwise, pin positions were pretty good in the back nine and then I executed the plan perfectly and once I got used to the greens, putts really started dropping. And then it got cold in the back nine, but we’ll leave that.
“The way I started, I would have expected to finish at least five under par, because I was four under in the first ten holes and the course only gets easier from there.
“But I did the opposite. If I stick to just how I played in the first couple of holes, then I’ll definitely go low and that’s the plan for the week.
“I created enough chances. One under is not a bad place to be. I mean, if I could finish one under for the week last year after being seven over for the first two days, I think I can get good things done from here as well.”
Also read: Home numbers can impact Hero Women’s Indian Open outcome
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