Tvesa leads Indian challenge with T-17 finish on Day 1 at La Sella Open

Tvesa Malik.

Khel Today Bureau

La Sella Golf Resort, Spain: Tvesa Malik, battling to secure full playing rights on the Ladies European Tour, opened her campaign at the 2025 La Sella Open with a solid 1-under 71. The effort placed her in tied-17th position, making her the best performer among the seven Indians in the €1 million event.

Among the others, Hitaashee Bakshi carded a 72 to be tied-28th, while India’s leading LET stars, Diksha Dagar and Pranavi Urs, each returned scores of 73 and sit in tied-44th place. Ridhima Dilawari posted 75 to be T-77, while both Avani Prashanth and Vani Kapoor struggled to 78 and are placed T-113, leaving them in danger of an early exit.

At the top of the leaderboard, Canadian rookie Anna Huang lit up the course with a flawless bogey-free 64 (-8) to take a two-shot lead. The 16-year-old, who earned her LET card through Q-School last December, strung together a run of birdies—back-to-back on holes 2 and 3, three in a row from 6 to 8, and more on 10, 12, and 13—to set the early pace in Spain.

For Tvesa, the round was a mix of resilience and recovery. Starting on the first, she dropped an early shot on the second but regained it at the fifth. Her round featured two sets of bogey-birdie exchanges, on holes 8–9 and 12–13, before finishing strong with a birdie on the 18th for her under-par card.

Hitaashee’s 72 included five birdies, offset by three bogeys and a double. Pranavi managed three birdies but slipped with two bogeys and a double, while Diksha fought back admirably after dropping three bogeys in her opening six holes. She steadied herself with three birdies on the back nine, including two in succession at 16 and 17.

Behind Huang, France’s Nastasia Nadaud and Germany’s Leonie Harm share second on six-under 66. Slovenia’s Pia Babnik (67) sits in fourth, while Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes is fifth at four-under 68.