Home victory high on Diksha Dagar’s wish list on Women’s Indian Open eve
Two-time Ladies European Tour winner Diksha Dagar says she would like nothing better that to capture the Hero Women’s Indian Open after finishing third at the event last year.
- Oct 24, 2024,
- Updated Oct 24, 2024 8:47 AM IST
Six winners from the current season and another six from 2023 feature in the field of 114 players from 31 countries at the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open, which gets underway at DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on Thursday.
Among the six 2024 titleists is two-time Ladies European Tour winner Diksha Dagar who says success at her home Open is high on a list to-do things. “I’m excited to be back here. Every year when I play here it brings back wonderful memories,” the left-hander said.
“It would mean a lot to win. It is on my bucket list. It is one of my biggest goals. I have wanted to win this for long and it would be amazing to win this at my home. I would love it to happen.”
Dagar is also a two-time Olympian having played at the Tokyo and Paris Summer Games. On Tuesday, she emerged winner of the Hero Shot skills challenge, and followed that up by leading her team to victory in the Hero Pro-Am on Wednesday morning.
Playing alongside Diksha were former Army chief of staff General Manoj Narvane, Air Marshal R.K. Anand and her father, Col Narinder Dagar.
The 24-year-old was a sole third-place finisher at the Women’s Indian Open last year and is keen to go better than that this time. She will tee off for the first two days alongside LET Order of Merit leader Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland and Belgium’s Manon De Roey.
Also hoping to make a mark on home soil during her notable LET debut season will be Pranavi Urs, while Tvesa Malik, Vani Kapoor and domestic Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour leader Hitaashee Bakshi make a trio of DLF players who have a solid record at their home course.
Amandeep Drall, who was joint second two years ago will be hoping to find some elusive form at a venue she has dominated in the past.
Meanwhile, the goal for Tamburlini is a fourth title in 2024 and to seal the LET Order of Merit come Sunday. At 69th, she is the highest world ranked player in the elite field that also features 27 Indians, including five amateurs.
Though defending champion Aline Krauter is not in the field, this year will see three past winners tee it up on Thursday – Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall (2011), Frenchwoman Camille Chevalier (2017), and Austria’s Christine Wolf (2019).
Much of the attention though will be on Tamburlini, who flew into Delhi after recording her third win of the season in Taiwan two weeks ago to follow earlier victories in Joburg Ladies Open and Open de France.
The 24-year-old is on the threshold of sealing this year’s honours and needs only to finish ahead of second placed De Roey to make sure of topping the rankings with two events still to go in Saudi Arabia and Spain.
In what is one of the strongest Hero Women’s Indian Open field for some time, there are two players from the top 100 in the world rankings in Tamburlini and France’s Perrine Delacour, and nine ranked between 101 and 200.
Another golfer to watch out for and on her first visit to India is Sweden’s Kasja Arwefjall, a two time winner on the LET Access Series this year and the feeder tour’s Order of Merit topper, who will be playing on a WGAI invitation having secured her LET playing rights for next year.
“I had so many highlights in 2024. Since it was my last semester of college (in the United States), I would have to say [one highlight] was winning conference with my team. And winning as an individual was also super fun,” Arwefjall.
“I would also add playing the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Playing the last round there with my dad and coach as a caddie and then on the Access Series my two wins were super fun, too.”
Six winners from the current season and another six from 2023 feature in the field of 114 players from 31 countries at the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open, which gets underway at DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on Thursday.
Among the six 2024 titleists is two-time Ladies European Tour winner Diksha Dagar who says success at her home Open is high on a list to-do things. “I’m excited to be back here. Every year when I play here it brings back wonderful memories,” the left-hander said.
“It would mean a lot to win. It is on my bucket list. It is one of my biggest goals. I have wanted to win this for long and it would be amazing to win this at my home. I would love it to happen.”
Dagar is also a two-time Olympian having played at the Tokyo and Paris Summer Games. On Tuesday, she emerged winner of the Hero Shot skills challenge, and followed that up by leading her team to victory in the Hero Pro-Am on Wednesday morning.
Playing alongside Diksha were former Army chief of staff General Manoj Narvane, Air Marshal R.K. Anand and her father, Col Narinder Dagar.
The 24-year-old was a sole third-place finisher at the Women’s Indian Open last year and is keen to go better than that this time. She will tee off for the first two days alongside LET Order of Merit leader Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland and Belgium’s Manon De Roey.
Also hoping to make a mark on home soil during her notable LET debut season will be Pranavi Urs, while Tvesa Malik, Vani Kapoor and domestic Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour leader Hitaashee Bakshi make a trio of DLF players who have a solid record at their home course.
Amandeep Drall, who was joint second two years ago will be hoping to find some elusive form at a venue she has dominated in the past.
Meanwhile, the goal for Tamburlini is a fourth title in 2024 and to seal the LET Order of Merit come Sunday. At 69th, she is the highest world ranked player in the elite field that also features 27 Indians, including five amateurs.
Though defending champion Aline Krauter is not in the field, this year will see three past winners tee it up on Thursday – Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall (2011), Frenchwoman Camille Chevalier (2017), and Austria’s Christine Wolf (2019).
Much of the attention though will be on Tamburlini, who flew into Delhi after recording her third win of the season in Taiwan two weeks ago to follow earlier victories in Joburg Ladies Open and Open de France.
The 24-year-old is on the threshold of sealing this year’s honours and needs only to finish ahead of second placed De Roey to make sure of topping the rankings with two events still to go in Saudi Arabia and Spain.
In what is one of the strongest Hero Women’s Indian Open field for some time, there are two players from the top 100 in the world rankings in Tamburlini and France’s Perrine Delacour, and nine ranked between 101 and 200.
Another golfer to watch out for and on her first visit to India is Sweden’s Kasja Arwefjall, a two time winner on the LET Access Series this year and the feeder tour’s Order of Merit topper, who will be playing on a WGAI invitation having secured her LET playing rights for next year.
“I had so many highlights in 2024. Since it was my last semester of college (in the United States), I would have to say [one highlight] was winning conference with my team. And winning as an individual was also super fun,” Arwefjall.
“I would also add playing the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Playing the last round there with my dad and coach as a caddie and then on the Access Series my two wins were super fun, too.”