Golf: Diksha Dagar to defend her LET title in Czech Republic – The Statesman

India’s top star on the Ladies European Tour, Diksha Dagar, will defend her title this week at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open. Last year, her win at the event was her second career win. The Indian star secured a three-shot victory at Royal Beroun Golf Club to win her second title, five years after her first.

Being back in Beroun is special for Dagar, who will have her father Narinder on her bag once again, and she is relishing the opportunity to defend and potentially retain her crown. Apart from Diksha the other Indians in the field are rookies Pranavi Urs, Tvesa Malik and Vani Kapoor, and Ridhima Dilawari.

“It’s always amazing to be back here as a defending champion because it is a very rare opportunity to defend your title and it’s a new challenge for me,” she said. “I would love to win again. If I can do that, it will be a mark off my bucket list. I remember on the second day I played seven-under; I remember every shot and every hole because it was very precious to me.

“It is always a special moment having your parent in your bag, especially your family. This year he will be my caddie and he also knows about the course well, it’s going to be so exciting for us.”

After her victory, the two-time LET winner recorded a further five top-10 finishes that season as she finished third in the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol.

It’s been a good start to the 2024 season for Dagar, who has had four top-10 finishes to date on the LET and sits 10th in the Order of Merit.

Coming off the back of a T6 at last week’s Ladies Italian Open, the 23-year-old believes she is in good form and is hoping to carry some positive vibes.

She continued: “This golf course is in the same condition as last year. The greens are smaller, I love smaller greens on the golf course. The greens are a bit different from last week in Italy, I have to read carefully because it will be more challenging.

“I feel I am keeping up my game and going in a very good momentum. I’m super excited to play in this tournament.

“I played in the Pro-Am and put really well, made lots of birdies. I feel there are going to be some positive vibes coming in and I’m sure I can do well and finish in the top 10 again.”

Having been successful around this golf course previously alongside her form, Dagar is hopeful that her third LET title is just around the corner.

She added: “I always enjoy here. Before winning in Czech last year, I was playing well, I was in the leading group in Germany and also Belgium.

“I was hoping that I was very close to winning and finally it happened, after a long gap of five years. This year is the same, I finished in the top ten last week, so I feel I am getting closer to the win.”

The 2023 champion gets her title defence underway at 1.14 pm (local time) on June 21 alongside Czechia’s Klara Davison Spilkova and Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz.

The Indian star secured a three-shot victory at Royal Beroun Golf Club to win her second title, five years after her first.

Being back in Beroun is special for Dagar, who will have her father Narinder on her bag once again, and she is relishing the opportunity to defend and potentially retain her crown. “It’s always amazing to be back here as a defending champion because it is a very rare opportunity to defend your title and it’s a new challenge for me,” she said.

“I would love to win again. If I can do that, it will be a mark off my bucket list. I remember on the second day I played seven-under; I remember every shot and every hole because it was very precious to me.

“It is always a special moment having your parent in your bag, especially your family. This year he will be my caddie and he also knows about the course well, it’s going to be so exciting for us.”

After her victory, the two-time LET winner recorded a further five top-10 finishes that season as she finished third in the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol. It’s been a good start to the 2024 season for Dagar, who has had four top-10 finishes to date on the LET and sits 10th in the Order of Merit.

Coming off the back of a T6 at last week’s Ladies Italian Open, the 23-year-old believes she is in good form and is hoping to carry some positive vibes.

She continued: “This golf course is in the same condition as last year. The greens are smaller, I love smaller greens on the golf course. The greens are a bit different from last week in Italy, I have to read carefully because it will be more challenging.

“I feel I am keeping up my game and going in a very good momentum. I’m super excited to play in this tournament.

“I played in the Pro-Am and putted really well, made lots of birdies. I feel there are going to be some positive vibes coming in and I’m sure I can do well and finish in the top 10 again.”