Diksha Dagar fired a round of 69 (-3) on day two of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and leads by one shot at the halfway stage.
The Indian star held the overnight lead but didn’t get off to the best start with a bogey on the first at Dromoland Castle.
However, she soon found a rhythm rolling in back-to-back birdies on five and six before another dropped shot on 14.
The two-time LET winner finished in style with three birdies in her final four holes for a round of three-under-par and to sit at the top of the leaderboard with a total of 10-under-par.
“Today, I struggled a little bit because I played very well yesterday,” said Dagar. “I handled it very well today and finished with a respectable score of three-under.
“On the 17th hole I had a long birdie putt, I thought wow yes because I was feeling a little bad on 16 as I missed a birdie putt. I was making a target that I should finish on a respectable score of two or three-under.
“After making a birdie on 17, I had a fist pump and it made me feel confident and I attacked the flag on 18 and I had a very good putt left. The weekend is going to be a very good experience, I’m getting used to it and I’m going to feel good and stay focused.”
Three players sit in a tie for second place with Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands, American Gurleen Kaur and France’s Emma Grechi all on nine-under-par.
It was an excellent round of 66 (-6) on the second day for five-time LET winner Van Dam as she had one bogey and seven birdies on her scorecard.
“It was really good, I have been playing really solid,” said the Dutch star. “I haven’t missed many shots which is always nice, I’m putting it nicely so overall I feel pretty good about everything.
“My driver shaft cracked on the flight on the way out here, but Callaway managed to get it here right before my tee time. It’s always tricky putting in a new shaft but today I was hitting it really well.
“I’m super thankful because a driver on this course is a big favour, I can carry a lot of the bunkers and be more aggressive on the par-fives. I’m very pleased. It also has a new grip on it, so that feels a bit nicer.”
LET rookie Kaur shot a 66 on the opening day and followed that up with a 69 (-3) on day two in Ireland.
The American made a bogey on the fourth but bounced back with a birdie on the fifth before another dropped shot on the eighth.
However, a hole-out eagle on the ninth saw Kaur regain momentum and she rolled in birdies on 11 and 17 to have a total of nine-under-par.
“I’m happy to have put together a good round again. It was a long day with rain on and off, but a great day,” said Kaur.
“On nine, I had 40 yards and my ball hit the green once and then dunked in. It was good to make the turn at one-under. On 18, I thought I got through and saw it was in a flowerbed. I pulled it a touch; it was a good recovery from there.
“It’s been so much fun, I’m so impressed! It’s been great to have such big crowds and I love it when people come and watch. It’s not my first time being in one of the last groups, there’s always that pressure but there’s still two more days too and I will just try to play the same golf that I have been.”
France’s Grechi also backed up her opening round of six-under with a round of three-under which included three bogeys and six birdies.
“My round was up and down, the front nine was difficult,” said Grechi. “I tried to make some pars, it was really tough and then I told my sister [my caddie] that we will forget the front nine and have fun on the back nine and that happened.
“I made some putts, my driving wasn’t really good today so I had to focus on my irons so that I could make the putts and that happened, so all good.
“Me and Carla have just been enjoying the moment, it’s the first time she has been on my bag. She’s happy and I’m happy and it’s working!”
France’s Anne-Lise Caudal sits in outright fifth place on eight-under-par after back-to-back rounds of 68 at Dromoland Castle.
“I’m very happy with my two days,” she said. “Today was a bit different than yesterday, I didn’t hit the ball as well as yesterday, but my short game is really good.
“I played well last year, I like the golf course, I think it suits my game but also, I’m learning to be more patient and accepting more the bad shots. My short game is amazing, I’m very confident, hopefully I will have a good week and maybe a win.”
Four players sit in a tie for sixth place with Spain’s Elena Hualde, Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson and English duo Meghan MacLaren and Alice Hewson all on seven-under-par.
Hualde, who is in her second year on Tour, fired the best round of the day carding a bogey-free 65 (-7) to climb up the leaderboard.
“It was a really solid round and my putting really worked,” said the Spaniard. “I made many putts, but I really focussed on my mental game – that’s what I have really been working on. I finally got the round that I wanted to.
“I have been working with my psychologist, but that’s what I have been struggling with lately. When I’m on the course, I suffer way too much when I shouldn’t have to. I wasn’t really enjoying the game, so that was the first step for me was to enjoy what I’m doing.”
Pettersson, who won the Helsingborg Open earlier in the season, had a phenomenal front nine rolling in six birdies and made two bogeys on her back nine for her round of 68 (-4).
“I really like this course, it’s one of my favourites on the list for the season,” said the LET winner. “My game has been really good these past two days, I tried to be aggressive and swing full swings and full speed all the way through.
“I have not been thinking about the consequences and just being fearless. It’s been really working and It’s super nice to be making a cut because it’s been a while.
“After my win in June, I thought I had found something and I knew what I was doing and I thought I can do this and it gave me a lot of confidence but then I’ve been struggling and I’ve only made one cut since then.
“I felt like my game has been there, but I haven’t been able to put a good score in, it’s been super frustrating and a lot of sleepless nights. It’s a relief to put a good score and make the weekend and from there on we’ll go up.”
Three players ended the day in a share of tenth place with Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby, Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom and Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley all on six-under-par.
The cut fell at +1 with 70 players making it through to the final two days of competition at Dromoland Castle.
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