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Amidst challenging conditions, Indian golfer Diksha Dagar showcased resilience by scoring one-over 74, propelling her position from an overnight Tied-13th to Tied-seventh at the ISPS HANDA World Invitational. This ascent follows closely on the heels of her impressive career-best T-21 finish at the AIG Women’s Open held at Walton Heath last week.
Marissa Steen currently leads the pack with a round of one-under 72 at the Par-73 Castlerock, succeeding her two-under 70 at the Par-72 Galgorm course. The leaderboard saw the cut set at five-over, with 63 participants advancing to the third round, to be hosted at Galgorm. Subsequently, a further cut will narrow the field down to the top 35 players, and ties, at the completion of 54 holes.
Parallelly, in the men's competition, Manu Gandas registered scores of 66-73. A couple of bogeys towards the end left him at Tied-ninth. Despite his drop from an initial Tied-third, England’s Dan Brown remains the frontrunner, boasting an 11-under-par, maintaining a significant six-shot lead as of the 36-hole mark.
What makes this week's event unique is its tri-sanctioning by the DP World Tour, LPGA, and Ladies European Tour. Both men and women compete on identical courses, vying for an equal prize purse of USD 1.5 million each.
Starting her round from the 10th hole, Dagar, assisted by her father, Col Naren Dagar, as caddie, experienced initial hiccups with bogeys on the 10th and 13th. However, she rebounded with birdies on the 15th and 17th. Concluding the day with a score of 1-over 74, her revamped gameplay, complemented by new clubs, was evident.
Marissa Steen, commencing her day on a two-under-par, capitalized on favorable early conditions, marking her spot atop the leaderboard with a three-under-par total. Trailing close behind is the two-time LET champion from Germany, Esther Henseleit, after an impressive 71 (-2) round at Castlerock.
Several noteworthy golfers, such as England’s Gabriella Cowley and Germany’s Olivia Cowan, stand at one-under-par, while five competitors, including Dagar, are on level par.
In the men's category, Brown's mastery was undeniable, especially given the strenuous weather. With a solid four-under-par 66 at Galgorm, he's currently 11-under after 36 holes. His nearest competitors are Alex Fitzpatrick from England and Spain's Angel Hidalgo, both positioned at five-under-par.
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