Aditi Ashok makes cut at Evian Championship but Diksha Dagar misses out

India’s leading woman golfer Aditi Ashok continued her march through a season of revival, making the weekend cut at the Amundi Evian Championship in France on Friday.

Playing steady golf, Ashok returned a 1 over 72 to seal her berth in the money rounds at the fourth and penultimate major of the year with the AIG Women’s Open to go next month. Together with her opening level par 71, it gave Ashok a 1 over 143 total and a share of 28th place, up from the tied 50th after day one.

Diksha Dagar however, struggled in the closing stages of her round on Friday with two double bogeys in a card of 81, which was 10 shots more than her first round 71. Her consequent total was not good enough to make the cut, but Dagar has had a good season as well and is currently fifth on the Order of Merit in Europe.

Ashok birdied the third and 13tth holes, but dropped shots on the fifth, 11th and 14th. She will now play her third round with Japan’s Minami Katsu and Korea’s Amy Yang.

Frenchwoman Celine Boutierreturned a 2 under round of 69 to hold a one-stroke lead on 7 under 135 at the halfway stage of the $6.5 million event on the shores of Lake Geneva. The local favourite headed into the second round at Evian Resort Golf Club in a share of second place and began her day with a birdie to set the early tempo in an up-and-down display.

Two players sit in a tie for second place one shot behind Boutier with Japan’s Yuka Saso and Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit on six-under-par 136s while three others shared fourth place –America’s Alison Lee, Mexico’s Gaby Lopez and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka all on 5-under-par 137s.

Korea’s Hae Ran Ryu was outright seventh after 36 holes on 4-under 138 with four players rounding out on the top 10 on 3-under 139.The cut fell at +4 with 70 players making it through to the final two rounds of the fourth major of the year. The day included two hole-in-ones, by Emma Talley of the US and Japanese amateur Saki Baba both producing aces.

“It was definitely a very positive end to the round,” said the two-time Solheim Cup winner on the LET website. “I feel like I definitely left a lot of putts a little bit short.I didn’t make that many birdies on the front especially. It feels nice to be able to finish with a birdie, especially with the wind. It was not very easy.

“In the past, I’ve not handled it very well. I just feel I put a lot of pressure on myself because I don’t want to disappoint anybodyIf I learned anything from the past, I really have to just focus on the job and on the course, on each shot. That’s really helped me really stay focused and not get ahead or think too much about the plans.

“It’s really fun that the fans are cheering so hard for me. It’s definitely fun when you’re hitting good shots and you’re making putts, so I’m just trying to ride the wave and enjoy it,” added the three-time Ladies European Tour winner.