Gurugram, Oct 18 (PTI) A Ladies European Tour’s Order of Merit title on the line, Diksha Dagar will have her task cut out as she leads India’s charge, hoping to become only the second winner from the country at the Hero Women’s Indian Open beginning here on Thursday.
Diksha, who turns 23 in less than two months, has already won this season and lies fourth on the Race to Costa Del Sol and a win this week will carry her right to the top and put her in a position to become the first Indian to win the Order of Merit.
However, it will be easier said than done given the star-studded field of 120 which will showcase four of the top five in the current LET’s Order of Merit and seven winners from what has been a very competitive 2023 season.
Aditi Ashok is the only Indian to win the title back in 2016 and this time Diksha along with Tvesa Malik and Amandeep Drall will be strong Indian contenders.
But the likes of Johanna Gustavsson of Sweden, Thai Trichat Cheenglab and Austria’s Christine Wolf will look at spoil the home party at the DLF Golf and Country Club this week.
While Diksha has already won at Czech Ladies Open, Tvesa is also slowly but surely regaining her form, and Amandeep, who was runner-up last year, also remains in the hunt.
Overall, the USD 400,000 event will feature a total of 32 Indians, including Seher Atwal, Vani Kapoor, Neha Tripathi and Gaurika Bishnoi.
“I’m feeling good, this season has been great so far and clearly my best in five years playing on the LET. This year has pushed my confidence and I’m feeling confident that I will do well. I will do my best,” Diksha said.
“DLF (golf course) is like my second home golf course. The greens and the facilities are very good. It is a very tough golf course but it gives you very good preparation for the international events,” said Dagar, who lives just 30 minutes from the golf course.
While the Indians will look to exploit the home conditions, Swede Johanna Gustavsson will be looking to grab a second title this season. She is second on the Order of Merit and a win could even seal the Order of Merit for her with only three events left in the season.
“It is great to be back here. I have been here quite a few times. The course is in great condition as always and it is such a good test. I have been playing well and won a few weeks back and I am excited to be back,” Gustavsson said.
“This year winning the Order of Merit is within my reach and I feel that I keep playing the same way, I can get there. It is very tight at the top and it will be an interesting finish to the year.
“I think what I’ve changed this year is probably my mental approach. Last year I was kind of fed up at the end of the year. I played a lot of tournaments coming out to the end stretch. So I didn’t really play good in the end. But this year, I feel a lot more happier.” Other top players in the field who won this year include Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson (Helsingborg Open), Spain’s Carmen Alonso (Ladies Open by Pickala Resort), Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz (La Sella Open), Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby (KPMG Women’s Irish Open).
Source: PTI News
