Women's Golf Association of India

Pranavi finishes third as Tvesa is 10^th and Diksha is 13^th have a good week in Sweden

Helsingborg, Sweden, June 2: Pranavi Urs finished a life best tied third at the Dormy Open Helsingborg. Despite a late double bogey she shot 2-under 70 and finished at 10-under.

The 21-year-old after her double bogey fought back with a birdie-birdie finish for a 10-under total. Her three rounds were 70-66-70. It was a fruitful week for the Indians, as Tvesa Malik, who won her first international win in South Africa earlier this year, shot 68 in the final round to add to 70-71 and was Tied-10th.

Diksha, who plays in the Paris Olympics in August, carded 69 after 70-71 on first two days and was T-13. Vani Kapoor had missed the cut.

Pranavi tied for third, her best in her first season on the LET. She was bidding to join Aditi Ashok (5 wins) and Diksha Dagar (2 wins) as the only Indians to have won on the LET.

Pranavi, who won the Order of merit on her home Tour, the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour in 2022, was fifth in Lalla Meryem Cup and then seventh at the Aramco Team Series in Korea.

She had as her caddie, her boyfriend, Kochhar, who plays on the Indian and Asian Tours. She said, “This week has been pretty bad because of my back, I had to withdraw last week. That’s taken a little toll on my back but hopefully.”

The physio worked well to make her play well. She focussed on hitting as many fairways and greens as possible and give herself opportunities.

On Kochhar, a professional golfer on the Indian and Asian Tours, she said, “He knows my game pretty well and back home when we play together it’s pretty competitive. It’s nice to ease things off between us on the golf course. I’m excited that he’s here.”

Pranavi was one shot short of the play-off between amateur Helen Briem of Germany and French star Perrine Delacour.

Delacour birdied the first play-off hole and won the title. Briem was second. Earlier Briem set the target of 11-under after a stunning final round of 8-under with nine birdies and a bogey in the final 14 holes.

The 30-year-old Delacour, who has twice won on the Symmetra Tour in the US, started the final round in sixth place, had an eagle on the front nine, but came charging on the back nine. She had birdies on 12th and the 14th but fell back with a bogey on 15th. As Briem set the target, Delacour birdied the last two holes to get to 11-under to join the German at the top.

Pranavi led at 10-under at one stage. She was bogey free till she dropped a double bogey on 16th, but finished birdie-birdie to Tied-third with Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup (68), who birdied four times in the last seven holes.