Magenta Shores (Australia), March 8 Diksha Dagar achieved her first top-5 finish of the 2026 season, finishing in a creditable fifth place at the Australian Women's Classic after carding a 1-under 71 despite two bogeys during the round, here on Saturday.
In a challenging day with difficult conditions, Diksha was one of only three players to finish under par on Sunday as strong winds and rain prevailed on the Central Coast of Australia.
One of the other two was the winner, Kelsey Bennett.
Pranavi Urs, who had also been in contention for a top-5 finish, slipped in the final round with a score of 6-over 78, finishing in 14th place.
The other two Indian golfers in the field this week, Avani Prashanth and Hitaashee Bakshi, missed the halfway cut.
Kelsey Bennett secured her biggest victory, winning by four strokes on home soil to claim her maiden Ladies European Tour (LET) title.
Leading by one going into the final day at Magenta Shores Golf & Country, the 26-year-old battled through tough conditions, carding a round of 71 (-1) to win with a score of 13-under par. With this victory, Bennett qualified for the AIG Women's Open.
Despite difficult scoring conditions, Diksha made birdies on the fourth and fifth holes, but made mistakes on the seventh and ninth. She also made a third bogey on the 13th, but made up for it with birdies on the 15th and 17th, finishing with a score of 71.
Pranavi struggled throughout the day, making three bogeys on the front nine and another three by the 14th. Her only birdie of the day came on the 15th, which brought her to 10th place. However, she ended the day with a birdie on the 18th, finishing in 14th place.
Playing in the final group alongside 2022 champion Meghan MacLaren and rookie Caley McGinty, Bennett faced pressure early when the latter made two birdies on the 1st and 3rd holes.
She responded with her own excellent birdies on the 3rd and 5th holes, with the latter coming after she narrowly missed an eagle from the rough.
Overall, the 26-year-old Bennett had five birdies against four bogeys, while MacLaren and McGinty each shot a 74.
McGinty and MacLaren finished the week in second place with a score of nine-under par.
Thailand's Trichat Cheenglab finished in solo fourth place with a score of seven-under par.
