Indian women's golf reaches a new milestone with Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar, and Tvesa Malik all set to compete in the Ladies Scottish Open starting Thursday. This event is a cornerstone of the Ladies European Tour and has been run in partnership with the LPGA since 2017, representing the fourth joint venture between the two organizations.
In a first in Indian women’s golf, three leading players of the country Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar and Tvesa Malik will feature in the Ladies Scottish Open, starting Thursday. The Ladies Scottish Open is a premier event in the Ladies European Tour. It has been hosted by LPGA since 2017. While this is the fourth time the two Tours are coming together.
The tournament schedule places Diksha in an early morning group with Yu Liu and Stephanie Kyriacou. Aditi will take the course later in the day, paired with Lee-Ann Pace from South Africa and Scotland's own Carly Booth. Tvesa has been matched up against Emily Kristine Pedersen and Yealimi Noh. In terms of travel, Diksha and Tvesa reached the UK on Friday and made their way to Edinburgh by Monday. Aditi and her mother arrived on Monday, giving Aditi the chance to familiarize herself with the course conditions.
According to Naren Dagar, Diksha's father and caddie, they were required to undergo testing both at the airport and by the Tour officials upon their arrival in Scotland. Diksha mentioned that the travel process felt different this time, expressing gratitude to the people in India who assisted with the necessary documentation and permissions. While she admitted the experience was stressful at times, she attributed that tension to the constraints of the pandemic and thanked the officials for their support.
Diksha, who claimed victory at the Women’s South African Open last year, expressed how long she had been anticipating this moment. Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, she continued her training in India while strictly adhering to safety protocols. During their travels, the team took every precaution, including wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and using PPE suits.
As the Ladies European Tour makes its comeback with the Scottish Open, the LPGA has already completed two tournaments in the US. Following the LPGA Drive On Championship and the Marathon LPGA Classic, the tour is now shifting its focus to Europe. Those initial two events saw Danielle Kang dominate with consecutive victories, bringing her total to three wins over the last ten months as the tour resumed post-pandemic.
The Scottish Open serves as the opening act of two back-to-back tournaments in Scotland. It will be immediately followed by next week's AIG Women's Open at Royal Troon, making this current event the final gateway for players hoping to qualify for the AIG Women's Open.