India’s Diksha Dagar finished the day with a score of 1-under 71, securing her a tie for seventh place in the women’s golf event at the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, her fellow countrywoman, Aditi Ashok, recorded an even par round, placing her in a tie for 13th with two holes remaining in her session. Dagar’s performance was commendable despite the absence of her regular caddie, her father Col. Narender Dagar, who was unable to attend due to personal reasons. She concluded her round with a bogey-bogey finish after maintaining a 3-under score through most of the day. Ashok, on the other hand, encountered a double bogey in her even par round.
Dagar, who previously secured a win at the Czech Ladies Open and a tied third position at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, along with Ashok, a seasoned LPGA player, both faced setbacks at the end of their rounds despite promising starts. Specifically, Ashok was 2-under before a double bogey on the 18th hole brought her score to 72. At one point, Dagar was 3-under and tied for second, but finished her day at 1-under, still managing to secure a spot within the top ten. The day was challenging for all competitors, marked by windy conditions that made scoring difficult.
Local favorite Celine Boutier excelled under these conditions, shooting a 7-under 65, leading the field by three strokes ahead of South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai. Four players were tied for third, each scoring 2-under. Reigning champion Nelly Korda managed to finish the day at even par, overcoming a difficult start to end seven strokes behind Boutier. Dagar reflected on her performance positively, noting her strong start and fairway play, despite the challenges faced towards the end of her round. “I started very good. I stayed in the fairway. I found a lot of fairways today. The greens were very good, and when I had a birdie putt chance I made some putts. I was going very well on the 16th hole; unfortunately, on the last hole I dropped two shots. But I’m okay with 17. But on 18, it was another mistake. It was a par 5 and I was on the green in three. You are taking the birdie putt and I went aggressive,” Dagar said.
Aditi Ashok commented on her ability to navigate the day’s tough conditions, saying, “I think it was a good day for me. It was tough initially with the wind and it’s tough to judge the yardages and manage the wind, too. I started off pretty good. That set the round. Except for the last hole (18th), I didn’t make many mistakes.”
