Amanda Doherty (Pic LET) and Diksha Dagar (Inset – File picture)
Galgorm, North Ireland, Aug 12: Diksha Dagar shot even par 73 at the Par-73 Galgorm Castle course in the opening round of the ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Aviv Clinics. Dagar was T-48 and was the best Indian after the first day.
Meanwhile Aditi Ashok shot 1-over 73 at the Massereene Golf Club and was lying T-66 and Tvesa Malik’s struggles continued with 4-over 77 at Galgorm Castle.
Diksha had three each of birdies and bogeys, while Aditi had three birdies against two bogeys and a double on the first at the Massereene Golf Club. Tvesa had two bogeys and a double in her 4-over 77 and was T-104.
For round two, players will tee it up on the opposite course to today with a cut being made to the top-60 and ties at the end of the second day.
American Amanda Doherty equalled her career-best round on the LPGA Tour of 67 (-6) to lead by one stroke at the end of the first day. The 24-year-old, who began her round at Galgorm on the 10th tee, started with a birdie on her first hole before adding two more on 13 and 18 to make the turn in three-under. Doherty rolled in four more birdies on her back nine with her only dropped shot coming at the fourth for a round of six-under-par.
Four players sit in a tie for second place at the end of the first round with America’s Lauren Coughlin and Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen firing rounds of 67 (-5) at Massereene.
2020 Race to Costa del Sol winner Pedersen produced a round with one eagle, five birdies and two bogeys for her 67 (-5) at Massereene.
Ireland’s Leona Maguire and England’s Georgia Hall both carded rounds of 68 (-5) at Galgorm for the quartet to be on five-under-par.
For Major-winner Hall, it was a solid round as she only had one dropped shot and rolled in four birdies and one eagle on her way to a 68 (-5).
In the men’s competition, Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson fired an excellent round of 61 (-9) at Galgorm to lead the tournament by four shots.
