Gold Coast, March 19 Diksha Dagar was the best Indian performer, opening with a 4-under 67 to finish tied for 8th after the first round of the Australian WPGA Championships here on Thursday.
She is four strokes behind leader Kelsey Macdonald (64), who set a new course record with her opening round.
Hitaashee Bakshi also had a promising opening round, carding a 2-under 69 to finish tied for 23rd.
The other Indian players in the field, Pranavi Urs (1-over 72) and Vani Kapoor (2-over 73), had difficult starts and finished tied for 68th and 81st, respectively.
Diksha had a bogey-free day. Starting on the back nine, she made a birdie on the tenth hole, followed by three more birdies on the front nine to close the day.
Hitaashee, who is looking to bounce back after three tough weeks on the LET, played even par on the front nine despite making birdies on the fourth, sixth, and ninth holes.
She made a bogey on the fifth and a double bogey on the eighth, losing three strokes. The 21-year-old also made two more birdies on the 12th and 18th holes.
She found the fairway on every hole, with her bogeys and double bogeys occurring on two of the four holes where she did not reach the green in regulation.
Kelsey Macdonald leads the field by one stroke after putting up a sensational opening round to set a new course record at the Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club of 7-under 64. The 35-year-old started her round with a bogey on the first hole, before making a birdie on the fourth.
She then made two more birdies on the front nine on the seventh and ninth holes, followed by three more on the back nine on the 11th, 12th, and 17th holes, finishing her round with an eagle on the 18th.
Macdonald made every green in regulation, except for the first hole, during her record-breaking round.
Local star Hannah Green is in second place, just one stroke behind the leader, along with Charlotte Heath of England.