Three Indians finish in Top-5 of Dutch Ladies Open
Indian women golfers recorded a historic week on the Ladies European Tour, with Diksha Dagar, Avani Prashanth, and Pranavi Urs all finishing inside the top five at the Dutch Ladies Open as Thailand's Aunchisa Utama clinched the title
Eemnes (The Netherlands): Indian women golfers enjoyed one of their strongest weeks on the Ladies European Tour as Diksha Dagar, Avani Prashanth and Pranavi Urs finished inside the top-five at the Dutch Ladies Open here.
Diksha and Avani shared the third place at eight-under 208 at the par 72 course, while Pranavi finished tied fifth at seven-under.
It marked Diksha’s fourth top-10 finish of the season, Avani’s second consecutive top-five result and Pranavi’s first top-five finish of the year. Avani came agonisingly close to forcing her way into the playoff.
She stood at nine-under through 17 holes after Aunchsia Utama had set the clubhouse target.
However, a bogey on the closing hole dropped her back to eight-under, leaving her just one stroke short of the winning total. Aunchsia Utama was joined by Norway’s Dorthea Forbrigd at nine-under.
Diksha, after a birdie on the 17th, reached eight-under and could have joined the play-off with a birdie but managed only a par and tied for third with Avani.
Despite the disappointment, the 19-year-old Avani produced one of the best rounds of the day with a five-under 67 featuring six birdies.
Reflecting on her performance, Avani said she was pleased with the overall quality of her golf despite the late setback.
“I’m obviously very happy with how the day went, but the last hole I guess that’s just sport. I played solid out there start to finish. Every part of my game really did well, so I’m happy,” she said.
She added that regaining full fitness after back problems had helped her rediscover her form, while consecutive top-five finishes had given her plenty of confidence going into the coming weeks.
Diksha signed for rounds of 68, 70 and 69 to continue her impressive consistency on the LET. The left-hander has quietly built momentum throughout the season, and another podium finish further strengthens her position among the leading performers on the tour.
Pranavi Urs also finished the week on a high after closing with a five-under 67. After an opening 73, she bounced back superbly with weekend rounds of 69 and 67 to claim a share of fifth place, providing India with three players inside the top five of a highly competitive LET event.
While the Indians impressed, it was Thailand’s Aunchisa Utama who stole the spotlight.
Beginning the final round tied for 15th, Utama produced a flawless six-under 66 to set the clubhouse target at nine-under before defeating Norway’s Dorthea Forbrigd with a birdie on the first playoff hole to capture her maiden Ladies European Tour title.
The tour now moves to Czechia for the Czech Ladies Open, where the Indian contingent will look to build on an outstanding week that showcased India’s growing presence on the Ladies European Tour.
