Diksha Dagar produced a strong finish to card a 4-under 67, placing her second after the opening round of the Jabra Ladies Open. The Indian golfer is just one shot behind clubhouse leader Dorthea Forbrigd on the Ladies European Tour.

Diksha Dagar produced a strong late finish to card a 4-under 67 and place herself firmly in contention after the opening round of the Jabra Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour.

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The two-time LET winner, who began her round from the sixth tee at the Evian Golf Resort, mixed steady golf with timely birdies to end the day just one shot behind the clubhouse leader. Diksha opened confidently with birdies on the seventh and ninth holes before adding another gain on the 15th. Her only blemish came on the 17th, but she recovered impressively with back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth -- her closing holes -- to finish the day in second place midway through the first round.

Dagar in contention, Forbrigd leads

The Indian golfer has already spoken of her ambition to challenge strongly this season, especially at the Women's Indian Open, and her performance in France underlined that intent. Norway's Dorthea Forbrigd held the clubhouse lead with a 5-under 66. Searching for her maiden Ladies European Tour title, Forbrigd registered six birdies against a lone bogey in an impressive opening effort. Denmark's Sofie Kibsgaard was another player to make a bright start, carding a 2-under 69.

How other Indians fared

Among the other Indians in the field, Hitaashee Bakshi endured a difficult round and finished with an 8-over 79, leaving herself needing a strong second round to make the cut. Avani Prashanth, who was still on the course, was even par through six holes, while Pranavi Urs stood at 1-over after three holes.

With several afternoon starters yet to tee off, Diksha's excellent opening round placed her in a strong early position heading into the remainder of the tournament. (ANI)

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