Playing her fourth Women’s Open and sixth major overall, it was the first time the left-handed Diksha had made the cut after missing out in 2019, 2020 and 2022. 
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Playing her fourth Women’s Open and sixth major overall, it was the first time the left-handed Diksha had made the cut after missing out in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Diksha Dagar scripted a little bit of Indian golf history with her tied 21st finish at the fifth and final women’s major of the year, the AIF Women’s Open at Walton Heath near London last week. Not only was it her first cut and a personal best at the majors, it was improved on Aditi Ashok’s T22 at the same event in 2018.
More importantly for Diksha the result and winnings of $84,162 from the Open put her back into the top five of the Ladies European Tour’s season-long Race to Costa Del Sol standings that will give her a direct entry into the final stage of the LPGAs’ year-end qualifying tournament.
On Sunday, Diksha followed rounds of 74, 71 and 72 with a 1 under par 71 for a par total of 288 that came thanks to three birdies over the final nine holes while Aditi Ashok shot a second straight 75 to fall to T40 with scores of 72-69-75-75 after being in a share of ninth place midway through the tournament.
At the top, Lilia Vu of the US was a comprehensive six-shot winner over the field for her second major of the year after the season-opening Chevron Championship in April. Vu, who shot 72-68-67-67 totalled 14-under for the week, six shots ahead of England’s Charley Hull, who brought in a closing 73 thanks to a cold putter after being tied for the lead overnight.
“I can’t thank my team and my family enough for really believing in me,” Vu said on the LET website. “It was really hard for the past couple of months and somehow, they really believed in me and helped me get this win here.
“I love playing with Charley, she is so fun to watch. I remember looking back yesterday at the crowd and just wanting to play with her today. She is so great, so nice and I love playing with her. She’s a really great golfer.
“This has been the best crowd I have ever played in front of in my life. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life. They have been so great; I know they were rooting for Charley, but they clapped for me too which is amazing.”
Playing her fourth Women’s Open and sixth major overall, it was the first time the left-handed Diksha had made the cut after missing out in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
Lying in a share of 35the place after round three, Diksha dropped two early shots but on the back nine, which she had played in par or better each of the first three days, Diksha found birdies on holes 12, 15 and 17 to bounce back. Despite finding fewer fairways and greens in regulation, Diksha was at her best on the greens with just 28 putts after going over 30 putts on the first three days.
Aditi, who was T28 after the third day, birdied once each on either side of the turn on Sunday but also dropped five shots in her 75 and finished tied for 40th place.
In the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, Evian Championship winner Celine Boutier extended her lead at the top of the rankings and now has 1,725.38 points. Spain’s Ana Peláez Trivińo is second with 1,433.20 points with Aditi third (1,309.19) and Sweden’s Linn Grant fourth (1,276.28).
Diksha has moved up to fifth place with 1072.34 points from her 18 starts that include the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open title earlier in the summer.
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