Diksha finishes life best T-21 in a Major at Women’s Open  

Khel Today Bureau 

Walton Heath, Surrey, UK: Diksha Dagar finished a career-best T-21 in a Major at the AIG Women’s Open. The two-time LET winner, Dagar, ended the tournament with another superb back-nine show.

After a 2-over front nine, she was 3-under for the back nine for a 1-under scorecard. With rounds of 74-71-72-71, she totalled even par 288 for four days.

Aditi Ashok shot a second straight 75 to fall to T-40 with rounds of 72-69-75-75. She was Tied-ninth at the halfway stage of the tournament but slipped over the weekend.

Lilia Vu of the United States outplayed the field by six shots to win her second Major of the year at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open. Vu, who shot 72-68-67-67 totalled 14-under for the week. Vu was six shots ahead of England’s Charley Hull, who just could not get her putter to perform and ended with a 73 after being tied for the lead at the end of 54 holes.

Diksha’s result of T-21 was the best-ever by an Indian women’s player at a Major, bettering T-22 by Aditi Ashok at the 2018 Women’s Open.

Playing her fourth Women’s Open this was the first time Diksha had made the cut after missing cuts in 2019, 2020 and 2022. This was her sixth Major overall and the first time she had made the cut.

Diksha’s winnings of $ 84,162 was also the highest of her professional career  and it took her back into the Top-5 of the Ladies European Tour’s Race to Costa Del Sol, where Aditi is lying third.

Lying T-35 after the third round, Diksha bogeyed fourth and sixth on the front nine and turned in 2-over. On the back nine, which she had played in par or better each of the first three days, Diksha found birdies on the 12^th, 15^th and 17^th to bounce back. She also missed a couple of chances. Despite finding fewer fairways and fewer greens in regulation, Diksha putted her best for the week with just 28 putts after going over 30 putts on the first three days.

Aditi, lying T-28 after the third day, birdied once each on the front and back nines, but bogeyed five times in her 75 and finished T-40.

In the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, Celine Boutier extended her lead at the top of the rankings and now has 1,725.38 points. Spain’s Ana Peláez Trivińo still sits in second place with 1,433.20 points with Aditi Ashok in third (1,309.19) and Sweden’s Linn Grant in fourth (1,276.28). India’s Diksha has moved up to fifth place after finishing in a tie for 21st place.