|
India will have two players inside the top 10 heading into the third and final round of the Jabra Ladies Open after Avani Prashanth produced one of the best rounds of the day and Diksha Dagar remained firmly in contention despite a difficult second round.
While Diksha battled to a one-over-par 72 and slipped slightly from her overnight tied second position, she continued to lead the Indian challenge at three-under-par overall and was tied sixth, five shots behind the new leader, Germany's Helen Briem, according to a release. Avani, meanwhile, bounced back impressively from an opening 75 with a three-under-par 68 that lifted her into a share of ninth place at two-under-par. With just one round remaining, both Indians remain well placed for a strong finish in the Ladies European Tour event. Diksha began her second round on the 15th tee, one of the two starting points used at the Evian Resort Golf Club. Unlike her opening-round 67, the second day proved more challenging as she struggled to find momentum. The left-hander dropped a shot on her opening hole and made the turn at one-over-par. Another bogey on the sixth hole left her further behind the leaders before she finally found some rhythm with birdies on the ninth and 12th holes. Just as she appeared set to salvage an even-par round, a bogey on the 13th hole pushed her back to one-over for the day. Significantly, all three of her bogeys came on holes where she failed to hit the green in regulation, highlighting the importance of her usually reliable approach play. Avani enjoyed a much more productive day. Starting alongside Diksha on the 15th hole, she picked up an early birdie at the 18th and steadily climbed the leaderboard through the middle portion of her round. The youngster added three more birdies on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes in a superb stretch of golf that propelled her into the top 10. A lone bogey on the ninth prevented an even lower score, but her 68 was enough to erase the disappointment of the opening day and put her firmly in contention for a high finish. The other two Indians in the field, Pranavi Urs and Hitaashee Bakshi, were unable to make it to the weekend. Pranavi followed her opening 75 with a 73 to finish at six-over-par, while Hitaashee added a 78 to her first-round 79 and ended the tournament at 15-over. With the cut falling at four-over-par, both players missed out on the final round. At the top of the leaderboard, Helen Briem seized control of the tournament with a brilliant six-under-par 65. The German, already a winner on the Ladies European Tour, moved to eight-under-par overall and opened up a three-shot lead. Ireland's Sara Byrne, Norway's first-round leader Dorothea Forbrigd and Germany's Laura Fuenfstueck shared second place at five-under-par. With Briem holding the advantage, the battle behind her remains wide open, and both Diksha and Avani will look to finish the week strongly and challenge for a place near the top of the leaderboard. (ANI)
|
