Magenta Shores (Australia), March 5 Diksha Dagar carded a three-under 69 to tie for 20th place as the best-placed Indian at the Australian Women's Classic, which began on the Ladies European Tour here.
The top Indian golfer had two bogeys on her first nine holes as she started from the back nine of the Magenta Shores course.
She had a bogey start but recovered with three birdies in the next four holes, and bogeyed the 18th to finish with a one-under score. On the second nine, she birdied twice to finish with a 69.
Czech Republic's Sara Kouskova fired a course record 64 (-8) at Magenta Shores on Thursday to take the lead after the first round.
Among the other Indian golfers, Pranavi Urs (72) was next best at T-52, and she had a round with two birdies, an eagle, a bogey, and a double bogey.
Avani Prashanth (77) and Hitaashee Bakshi (82) struggled in the first round.
Kouskova, a two-time winner on the Ladies European Tour (LET), capitalized on the calm conditions in New South Wales, scoring eight birdies and making no mistakes to take the lead by two strokes after 18 holes.
Kouskova played all 18 holes at Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club on Thursday, hitting all the greens and missing only one fairway.
New Zealand's Momoka Kobori, Ecuador's Daniela Darquea, and Australia's Kelsey Bennett are tied for second place, with a score of six-under par.
Kobori, the former LET winner, started strongly at Magenta Shores, playing her first nine holes in just 30 shots, six-under par.
Five players are tied for fifth place, with a score of five-under par, including the Thai duo of Trichat Cheenglab and Sasikarn Somboonsup, France's Celine Herbin (who had two eagles on the first day), Denmark's Sofie Kibsgaard, and Katharina Muehlbauer from Austria, who graduated from the LET Access Series (LETAS).
