India star Diksha Dagar claims second career European professional title

It took her four years to follow a rookie season win on the Ladies European Tour, but Diksha Dagar was untroubled on her victory march in the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open, which she claimed by a comfortable four shots at Beroun, Czechia, on Sunday.

Leading the field overnight by five shots, the 22-year-old left hander followed up on her 2019 Investec Women’s South African Open title with a 13 under par 203 at Royal Beroun Golf Club to end a wait that belies her immense talent. Dagar’s three cards for the week read 69, 65 and 69 and were worth a Euro 45,000 winner’s cheque.

Sunday’s result also made Dagar the second Indian woman after Aditi Ashok to have won on the LET this year, after the latter’s victory at the season-opening Magical Kenya Open at Vipingo Ridge near Nairobi in early February.

Right from the start of the current season, Dagar has shown a welcome return to form. Last week, she finished in a tie for third place in the Amundi German Masters that saw her rise to 22nd place on the Race to Costa Del Sol Order of Merit standings. Sunday’s result put the 22-year-old in fifth place, making it for a first time two Indians are in the top five of the LET’s season-long rankings.

Ashok, who has now reverted mainly to the US-based Ladies PGA Tour, dropped to second behind new leader Ana Pelaez Trivino of Spain with 1,260.00 points from just four LET tournaments this year. Dagar with 917.92 points from her 12 starts so far climbed 16 places in the standings, just reward for her consistency this year.

“I’m feeling very happy. I finally won after five years. My first win just happened and for this event, I really worked hard for this. For the last three weeks, I was very close to a win and it has finally happened,” Dagar told the LET website after her win.
“I feel so happy to be part of the winner’s circle again. It has given me confidence and I finally believe in myself that, yes, I can do it. I saw the scoreboard on the 16th (hole) and I thought, thank God I made a birdie on the 15th.

“I faced a difficult chip on 16 and after I made a par there, I thought, with two holes to go and a three-shot lead, I can finally breathe a little more easily. My key to success was just following the routine. I have worked on my putting skills and also been getting a lot of sleep, which keeps you focused,” added Dagar, who is fully focussed on making sure of her qualification to the Olympic Games in Paris next year.

The Asian Games-bound Dagar came under some pressure from Thai runner-up Trichat Cheenglab’s closing 8 under round for a 9 under par 207 total and Scotland’s Laura Breveridge who carded a career-best, course record equalling 9 under 63 to climb into a share of fourth place. 

She though calmly sealed the win with two birdies in the last four holes including one on the closing 54th and final hole. Over three days, Dagar dropped just two shots, one in her opening round, and a second on Sunday. On Saturday, she had hit a bogey-free 7 under 65 for a five-shot overnight cushion.

Behind Dagar, the 2022 domestic Hero WPGT Order of Merit winner Pranavi Urs saw a top-10 finish slip away with three dropped shots in her closing nine holes. The Mysore golfer had picked up six shots –five in a row at the start – to climb up the leaderboard but the three bogeys on her back nine saw Urs take a share of 17th place on 4 under 212.

Pranavi had cards of 75, 68 and 69, while Ridhima Dilawari – the third Indian to make the 36-hole cut –took a share of 54th place on 1 over 217 (74-72-71).

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