Tvesa Malik continued to knock on the doors of a breakthrough win even as she registered a career-best Tied-second place finish in the Gant Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour. Carrying on the good summer run for Indian women, Diksha Dagar, part of the winning team at Aramco Ladies Team event, finished Tied-fourth in Turku, Finland.
This was Tvesa’s third Top-10 finish of 2021 while Diksha is returning back to the form that won her the South Africa Women’s Open in 2019 and saw her play superbly last week in London.
Tvesa, playing in the second last group over the final day, shot 3-under 68 and was 2-under for three rounds at 211. Matilda Carsten (68) maintained her three-shot lead over Tvesa, to win the title. It was Matilda’s first win on the Ladies European Tour, and it came just over a month after her maiden LPGA title at LPGA Mediheal Championships.
Tvesa, starting the final day three shots behind the Finn, made up two shots over the front nine and then a bogey dropped her back. She fought back with birdies on 11th and 15th to catch up with Matilda, who was in the group behind her. Then Tvesa bogeyed the 17th, even as Matilda birdied the 16th and 17th.
Diksha Dagar who was Tied-second overnight did not quite manage the charge as she had one birdie and one bogey on front nine. A double bogey on the 11th, where she had an eagle on the second day, virtually dashed her hopes in the tightly fought contest. She fought back with birdies on 14th and 16th, but Matilda ran away from the rest in the closing stages.
Tvesa was tied second with Ursula Wikstrom (76), while Marianna Skarpnord (73) and Atthaya Thitikul (73) were tied for fourth with Diksha Dagar.
Earlier in the week Vani Kapoor and Astha Madan had missed the cut.