‘Just going to play my game’ — Diksha Dagar’s simple mantra ahead of Hero India Open

Diksha Dagar will carry home hopes this week at the $500,000 Hero India Open in Gurugram.

Eyeing her third title on the Ladies European Tour (LET), Diksha will be eager to improve her current standing of 21st on the OOM (Order of Merit) after five top-10 finishes this season.

“This golf course is still in great condition. This course looks much better than last year. I’m very much excited to play on this course, and I’m just going to play my game,” was the simple and straightforward mantra for Diksha.

Tvesa Malik is another Indian contender who could throw in some surprises.

A regular on the LET since her debut in 2019, Tvesa has been runner-up twice on the Tour, the last one being in the 2024 VP Swiss Bank after losing the playoff.

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Winner of the 2024 SuperSport Ladies Challenge in South Africa on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, Tvesa said, “I think this week, like all the other ones have said, could be quite different from how it’s played in the past.

“I haven’t played here since last year’s Indian Open, so it is quite different for me. But I’m looking forward to it. I love coming back to play here. Obviously, nerves come with it, being a home event, but it’s always good nerves, and I’m just really excited to tee it up.”

Hitaashee Bakshi has played 13 tournaments in her rookie season on the LET Tour and now gets to make the most of the conditions on her “home course”.

“A lot of people are saying that this course has been played differently, but for me, the feeling is altogether different since I’ve played all seasons over here – 365 days – literally, so nothing’s different for me. I’m really comfortable here. I’m looking forward to this week,” said Hitashee.

Talking about her experience of playing the LET, she said, “It’s actually been nice. It took me three years to qualify (for LET), and in December 2024, I finally qualified for my half-card. The Dutch Open was my first event, and it went pretty well. I think that kind of made a base for me for the few events that I played. Some weeks were good, some weeks were bad, but I think that’s golf.”

Published on Oct 07, 2025