Diksha leads charge as three Indians make cut in Czech Open

Beroun (Czech Republic): Former champion Diksha Dagar stayed firmly in contention for another strong finish on the Ladies European Tour as she led a three-player Indian challenge into the final round of the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open, while Sweden's Lisa Pettersson and England's Charlotte Heath shared the halfway lead after another day of low scoring.

The Hero-supported Diksha, who lifted the title here in 2019 and finished tied third at last week's Dutch Ladies Open, carded a steady one-under 69 to move to nine-under-par after two rounds. She was tied for 11th, just four shots off the lead, leaving herself well placed to mount a charge on Sunday on a course where birdies have been plentiful throughout the week.

Diksha once again displayed remarkable consistency, mixing four birdies with a lone bogey after opening the tournament with a sparkling 66. The left-hander has now put together another solid week following her recent resurgence and will hope her familiarity with Royal Beroun Golf Club proves decisive in the closing round.

India also celebrated a successful day with Pranavi Urs and Vani Kapoor comfortably making the cut, ensuring three Indians remain in the hunt for a strong finish.

Pranavi, another Hero-backed player, who also impressed with a top-five finish in the Netherlands last week, followed her opening 67 with a one-under 71. At six-under overall, she was tied for 37th but remained within striking distance of a significant climb up the leaderboard with one round remaining.

Vani Kapoor continued her encouraging return to form with a two-under 70 after an opening 68. At six-under, she shared 37th place and registered only her second cut of the season on the Ladies European Tour, building on the confidence gained from her outstanding performances on the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour last year.

Three other Indians, however, bowed out after 36 holes. Avani Prashanth narrowly missed advancing despite recovering with a second-round 68 after an opening 75, while Ridhima Dilawari also fell short despite improving to 70 following a first-round 73. Hitaashee Bakshi missed the weekend after rounds of 71 and 81, with the cut coming at five-under-par.

At the top, Pettersson and Heath were locked together at 13-under after producing excellent second rounds in hot conditions.

Tags : Golf, Diksha Dagar, Pranavi Urs, Vani Kapoor, Avani Prashanth