Rookie Diksha finishes 5th

Queanbeyan, March 10 

Indian rookie Diksha Dagar wrote a new chapter in her young career with a maiden top-5 finish at the New South Wales Open on Sunday.

The left-handed golfer, who won a pro event while being an amateur last year, turned pro at the start of this year and has been showing fine progress.

Diksha (72-67-69) shot a 1-under 70 on the final day for a total of 6-under 278.

Indian women's golf got another boost as Amandeep Drall recorded her best pro finish outside India, a tied-18th, after carding a 2-under 69 in the final round. She carded a total of 2-under 282. 

Astha Madan, the third Indian who made the cut this week, shot a 73 in the final round for a total of 287 and finished tied-36th, her best finish on the Ladies European Tour.

Diksha has had a great outing in Australia in her maiden year. She was tied-30th at the ALPG Qualifying Tournament and was then tied-12th at the Ballarat Icons Pro-AM. 

She missed the cut at the Vic Open, was tied-29th at the Canberra Classic and third at the 18-hole Pro-AM Moss Vale Club. 

Of these events, three of them, the Vic Open, Canberra Classic and the NWS Open, are also part of the Ladies European Tour. She is now 30th on the Order of Merit and is the best Indian on LET merit list.

England's Meghan MacLaren won the Women's NSW Open for the second successive year after an impressive final round of 2-under 69 for a three-stroke victory at the Queanbeyan Golf Club.

Meghan was the only player in the field to shoot four rounds under par and finished with a total of 12-under-par, three ahead of New Zealand's Munchin Keh and Swede Lynn Carlsson. 

Tied for the lead with Carlsson entering the last day, MacLaren twice lost her lead during the final round and it was a tense finish, but the 24-year-old from Northamptonshire, finished eagle-par-birdie under intense pressure to seal the victory. — PTI