BEROUN: Diksha Dagar will return to defend her title on the Ladies European Tour (LET) at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open following a stunning last season where she had nine Top-10 finishes, which placed her third on the 2023 Order of Merit.
The two-time winner on the Tour had secured a three-shot victory at Royal Beroun Golf Club to win her second title last year and would be among five Indians who would try their luck in the event over the weekend.
The other Indians in the field are rookie Pranavi Urs, experienced Tvesa Malik and Vani Kapoor, and Ridhima Dilawari.
Diksha is coming into the tournament on the back of a Top-10 finish last week.
"It's always amazing to be back here as the defending champion because it is a very rare opportunity to defend your title and it's a new challenge for me," said Diksha.
"I would love to win again. If I can do that, it will be a mark off my bucket list. I remember on the second day, I played seven-under. I remember every shot and every hole because it was very precious to me.
"It is always a special moment having your parent on your bag, especially your family," said Dishsa, whose father Narinder Dagar is her caddie.
"He will be my caddie and he also knows about the course well, it's going to be so exciting for us."
It's been a good start to the 2024 season for Diksha, who has had four Top-10 finishes to date on the LET and sits 10th in the Order of Merit. Her best has been a third-place finish at the Joburg Open and she was sixth last week in the Ladies Italian Open.
The 23-year-old believes she is in good form and is hoping to carry some positive vibes.
"This golf course is in the same condition as last year. The greens are smaller, I love smaller greens on the golf course. The greens are a bit different to last week in Italy, I have to read carefully because it will be more challenging.
"I feel I am keeping up my game and going in a very good momentum. I'm super excited playing this tournament.
"I played in the Pro-Am and putted really well, made lots of birdies. I feel there are going to be some positive vibes coming in and I'm sure I can do well and finish in the top 10 again."
Having been successful on this golf course previously, Dagar is hopeful that her third LET title is just around the corner.
"I always enjoy here. Before winning in the Czech last year, I was playing well, I was in the leading group in Germany and also Belgium.
"I was hoping that I was very close to winning and finally it happened, after a long gap of five years. This year is the same, I finished in the top-10 last week, so I feel I am getting closer to the win."
The 2023 champion gets her title defence underway at 1.14 pm (local time) on June 21 alongside Czech Republic's Klara Davison Spilkova and Spain's Nuria Iturrioz.