Diksha Dagar opens up three-shot lead at Royal Calcutta

By Rahul Banerji

Diksha Dagar sank two birdies in her last three holes to pull away from the field on day two of the 15^th and final leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on Thursday. 

Dagar, looking for her first win on the domestic Tour as a professional, leads first day co-leader Ridhima Dilawari by three shots. On Thursday, Diksha hit a second straight 1-under 71 to total 2-under 142 even as Ridhima (74), in search for her fifth title of the season was on 1-over 145 after 36 holes.

Diksha won the final leg of the 2017 season, but as an amateur. She turned pro at the start of this year and won the Women’s South African Open on the Ladies European Tour, but is yet to win on the Indian pro tour this year. 

In her three previous starts this season, Diksha finished third in the first leg, tied-second in the 13^th leg and was fourth last week in the 14^th  leg at the Noida Golf Course.

Making ground

Vani Kapoor (72) moved into third place at 2-over 146 and was one shot ahead of amateur Pranavi Urs (72) at 147. Amandeep Drall had an up-and-down round with three birdies, four bogeys and a double in her 75, and was fifth on 150. 

Diksha opened with a birdie on the first hole before dropping two shots. Two birdies over the final three holes then brought her card back under par,

Ridhima birdied the fourth hole but hit bogeys on the fifth, sixth and 11^th for her 74.

Tvesa Malik, the second most successful player on the domestic tour this year with three wins, made a terrible start and could not recover. She began bogey, bogey, double bogey to be 4-over through the first three holes.

She did not drop any more shots after that and picked up one birdie for a 75 total to go with her first round 76 and her 151 put Tvesa tied-sixth alongside Thailand’s P. Supakchaya (73-78).

Gauri Karhade (78-76) and Khushi Khanijau (75-80) were eighth and ninth, while Neha Tripathi (76-80) and Siddhi Kapoor (74-82) were tied-tenth.

Round 3 tee times

8:30 am: Marshneil Prasad 172; Anousha Tripathi 171

8:40 am: Ishvari Prasanna 166; Jyotsana Singh 163; Anisha Agarwalla 162

8:50 am: Numa Gulyanamitta 162; Gurjot Badwal 160; Shriya Vivek 160

9 am: Astha Madan 159; Saaniya Sharma 159; Tavleen Batra 158

9:10 am: Siddhi Kapoor 156; Neha Tripathi 156; Ananya Datar 156

9:20 am: Khushi Khanijau 155; Gauri Karhade 154; Supakchaya P. 151

9:30 am: Tvesa Malik 151; Amandeep Drall 150; Pranavi Urs (A) 14;

9:40 am: Vani Kapoor 146; Ridhima Dilawari 145; Diksha Dagar 142

Also read: Ridhima hunts fifth win as Hero WPGT final leg tees off in Kolkata