Diksha fires 69, lies in Top-10 after first round at Women’s Open

Royal Lytham & St Annes, UK: Diksha Dagar recovered from an early bogey to card a steady 2-under 69 in the opening round of the 2026 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, finishing tied-eighth and inside the top 10. Still chasing her first win of an otherwise consistent season, Diksha made a strong start in the season’s final women’s Major.

Aditi Ashok, the other Indian in the field, shot a 3-over 74 to lie tied-75th and will need a strong second round to make the 36-hole cut.

Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul was on top of the leaderboard after an opening round of 64 (-7).

Diksha, who is making her seventh start at the AIG Women’s Open has a best of T-21 in 2023 and she was T-46 last year.

Aditi is making her 39th Major start, a record for any Indian – male or female – and is playing the ninth time in the Open. She has made the cut only twice at the Women’s Open and has a best of T-22 in 2018.

Diksha, who is backed by Hero, opened par-par before she dropped her first and only shot of the day on the third. She got the stroke back on the fifth and then began a series of six pars till the 13th. Two birdies on the 13th and the 16th put her in a good position and she closed with two pars for a 69 on the Par-71 course.

Aditi got her only birdie of the day on the second and then dropped shots on the fourth, fifth, 15th and the 18th.

The world number two, Thitikul was on excellent form on day one rolling in three birdies on the trot on holes four, five and six.

Thitikul added another birdie on eight before further birdies on 11, 13 and 15 to seal her round of seven-under-par and lead by two strokes.

Thitikul, a five-time LET winner, has great memories of this golf course after she won the Smyth Salver during the 2018 edition of the AIG Women’s Open.

Tags : Diksha Dagar, Aditi Ashok, Jeeno Thitikul, Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes