Change of equipment and disciplined approach work for Delhi golfer as she tries to overcome Asian Games disappointment
NEW DELHI: From a triumphant celebration in Beroun on the fringes of Prague to a somnolent afternoon in Helsinki, Diksha Dagar knows well that a life of a golfer is full of trains, planes, buses and hotels enough to make you stay grounded. Next week, it is St Albans in England but for now, it's time to catch up on lost sleep and then focus on the Ladies Open by Pickala Golf Resort. However, she is allowed a dream or two because she "has really worked for it".
A second Ladies European Tour win after a gap of four years, at the Czech Ladies Open on Sunday, had come after a few near-misses. Having been in contention in Belgium, Sweden and Germany over the last four weeks, it was only a matter of time she hit the bull's-eye.
Going into the event, her mother Sunita had a tip for the 22-yearold daughter. "Just get into the final day with a healthy lead and it will give you a bit of buffer," she had said, matter-of-factly. Easier said than done, of course, but Diksha followed it to the tee, building a five-stroke lead on the penultimate day.
Title No. 2 was more satisfying for the left-handed golfer, who stands tall in her 5ft 8½in ("like Katrina Kaif") frame. "The first win at the 2019 SA Women's Open in my fourth start on the Tour just happened. It didn't quite sink in. This was more deliberate. I am now aware of the level of competition on tour," she told TOI.
The India No. 2, who is now fifth on the LET rankings and 297 in the world, is surprisingly not in the Asian Games squad because the selection was based on a three-day trial in Kolkata. But that does not deter a determined Diksha from focusing on a 'second' round of the Olympics next year, with a fairer selection process in place. Despite the disappointment for the 2021 Deaflympics champion and 2020 Tokyo Olympian, the girl who calls Delhi Cantt home refuses to be drawn into controversy.
The coveted LPGA Tour on American shores, meanwhile, can wait. "Nobody can complain about not having enough opportunities these days. We don't want to go underprepared on the biggest tour. We don't want to make mistakes. I am learning a lot, and focusing on my fitness, and being stronger physically and mentally."
The 'we' refers to the duo of Diksha and her father/mentor/ caddie Col. Narinder Dagar. On and off the course, Narinder is a constant presence, cheering his daughter to push herself. "She is taking a more disciplined approach to life now, and this has come out of certain failures. She is an amazing, talented girl who has coped with her problems. She knows that sacrifice and patience is needed for achieving success."
Communication on the course can be difficult for a girl with cochlear implants, and her father is with her every step of the way. "We have good chemistry," he said, adding how he had watched her grow in confidence from close quarters. "When you are lower down the order, it's just you against the course. When you are in the leader group, it is a different mental game. All the attention, pressure, it's not easy for everybody. This is an area where Diksha is more confident than most players. She can perform well in testing times.
"She has made it happen, hasn't she?" he said, referring to the Czech high.
Apart from her ability to tune into the moment, what had really worked for her is a change in equipment. "In India, the equipment facilitators could not provide the right options for left-handers. In Europe and US, it is very different. We were in Florida in the third week of May for the Aramco Team Series and there we started tweaking with the clubs. That was a major change in her game. After some trial and error, we now have a mixed bag with different equipment from top manufacturers and that works for her game."
Since May-end, she has been on a top-10 streak with the crowning moment coming last Sunday.
