Golfer who didn't let disability daunt her

New Delhi, April 11

Twenty year old Disha Dagar, a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, is one of the leading golfers in the country. Dagar is passionate about the sport and began playing golf at the age of seven.

Although she has been suffering from a hearing impairment since childhood, she never let it come in the way of excelling in golf.

Overcoming her disability, she helped India bag a silver medal in the Summer Deaf Olympics. Dagar was recently felicitated by the Delhi Commission for Women for her feat.

Dagar was born in Rohtak on December 14, 2000. Her father is a colonel in the Army who liked to play golf. He inherited the love of golf from her dad. Although she also enjoys playing tennis, badminton and swimming, she decided to pursue golf as a career.

Born with a hearing impairment, Dagar got a cochlear implant through a surgery. After the surgery and through a listening aid, 70% of her hearing has been restored in one ear.

Dagar said: "Compared to the challenges I faced, I got a lot of support from the Army, the Indian Golf Union and other local sporting bodies when I competed abroad. This made me forget the challenges that I was experiencing."

According to Dagar, golf needs to be propagated in the country. "People are not crazy about golf in the country compared to other sports. But my dream is to be counted among the top 20 players in the country and make my nation proud."

As they say, where there is a will, there is a way. The indomitable spirit of Dagar is testimony to this. From the beginning, Dagar began playing and competing with other able-bodied players. Not just this, she went to an inclusive 'normal' school. That's why, apart from a couple of events, she has always competed with able-bodied golfers.

Dagar created history by winning the Investec South African Open and she became the second and youngest woman golfer to win a title on the European tour.

At the age of 12, Dagar played her first match in the Indian Golf Union in the sub-junior circuit. Since then, she went on to excel in domestic as well as international tournaments.

Dagar played in her first event abroad in Sri Lanka and won her first title in Singapore in 2018. Not just this, she bagged a silver medal for the country at the Deaf Olympics held in Turkey.

In the Malayia Ladies Open, she stood at third position individually and ended at the top spot in the team event. IANS

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