Steady start for Diksha Dagar and Vani Kapoor in Germany

Indian golfer Vani Kapoor opened with a steady 1-under 72 in the first round of the Amundi German Masters at the Par-73 Green Eagle Golf Courses here. Vani, who is trying to regain her place on the Ladies European Tour, was provisionally tied 20th with the first round still in progress. The top Indian, however, was Diksha Dagar, who was 2-under after 14 holes. She was T-13 and in sight of a top-10 start in the tournament.

Diksha, who is 11th on the LET Order of Merit, had four birdies against two bogeys. She had two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine and then added two birdies on the 12th and the 13th to get to 2-under. The early leader was England’s Alice Hewson, who had a bogey-free 5-under 68, and she was sharing the lead with Helen Briem of Germany, Kiwi Amelia Harvey, and Sweden’s Eliner Sudow.

Three others were at 4-under. Vani Kapoor had two birdies against one bogey, and all that action happened on the front nine; she had pars on the entire back nine of the course. Among the other Indians, Avani Prashanth, who has played the event as an amateur in the past, carded even par 73 while Tvesa Malik was even through 13 holes.

It did not go well for Sneha Singh and Amandeep Drall, who shot 5-over 78 each, while Hitaashee Bakshi was also 5-over but had 10 holes to play. Neha Tripathi finished 10 overs. Vidhatri Urs had a disastrous time and was 10-over through just nine holes.