Diksha Dagar Shines at Australian WPGA Championships with Strong Start
Diksha Dagar Leads Indian Contingent in Australia
Gold Coast, Australia - March 19: In the opening round of the Australian WPGA Championships at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club, Diksha Dagar emerged as the standout performer among Indian golfers, finishing with an impressive score of 4-under 67, placing her tied for eighth on the leaderboard.
Dagar trails the leader, Kelsey Macdonald, by four strokes. Macdonald set a new course record with her remarkable round of 64. Another Indian golfer, Hitaashee Bakshi, also had a solid start, carding a score of 2-under 69.
Other Indian participants included Pranavi Urs and Vani Kapoor, who faced challenges with scores of 1-over 72 and 2-over 73, respectively, landing them in T-68 and T-81 positions.
Diksha's round was flawless, starting on the ninth hole. She secured a birdie on the tenth and added three more birdies on the front nine, concluding her day at 4-under par, now tied for eighth place.
Hitaashee Bakshi, aiming to bounce back after a tough few weeks on the LET, began her round on the front nine, finishing even par initially. Despite a bogey on the fifth and a double bogey on the eighth, she managed to score two birdies on the 12th and 18th holes, ending her day at 2-under par, tied for 23rd.
Bakshi consistently found the fairway but struggled on two holes where she missed the Green in Regulation, leading to her dropped shots.
Kelsey Macdonald leads the tournament by one stroke after her record-setting round of 7-under 64. The 35-year-old golfer started with a bogey but quickly turned things around with a birdie on the fourth hole, followed by two more on the seventh and ninth. She continued her momentum with three additional birdies on the back nine and capped her round with an eagle on the 18th hole, hitting every Green in Regulation except for the first.
Local favorite Hannah Green is in second place, just one stroke behind Macdonald, alongside England's Charlotte Heath. Green is in excellent form, having recently won in Adelaide and secured her seventh LPGA title just two weeks prior in Singapore.