After early exit, Aditi and Diksha aim to return stronger next year

St. Andrews (Scotland), Aug 25 (PTI) The Indian duo of Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar made an early exit in the 2024 AIG Women’s Open here but both vowed to come back stronger next year.

While Aditi Ashok will take a break and then head back to the LPGA, where she has been playing for last eight years, Diksha will be back in action on the Ladies European Tour, where she plays the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.

Aditi and Diksha have been playing a lot with mixed results and at the Women’s Open, and they were unlucky to be on the wrong side of the draw on both days.

Also, Aditi, who seemed to be on her way to making the cut, suffered a late triple bogey and some three-putts and missed out.

Diksha played well but had some unfortunate breaks on and off the course, including a car accident in Paris, where her mother was injured but is now on way to recovery back home in India.

Meanwhile at the AIG Women’s Open, Jiyai Shin fired a round of 67 (-5) to move to the top of the leaderboard on day three.

The Korean opened with rounds of 71 (-1) on the first two days in Scotland but made a big move on Saturday to lead with a total of seven-under-par.

Shin, who won the 2008 and 2012 editions of this tournament, got off to a good start with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes before dropping a shot on the third.

Three birdies on the trot on holes seven, eight and nine moved the 36-year-old into contention before she made another on the 12th hole.

There was another bogey on 14, but Shin soon finished in style with others faltering around her as she rolled in a final birdie on 17 to seal a round of five-under and move into first place.

“I played golf for a long time, this is my third time at St Andrews,” said Shin, who has 64 wins worldwide.

“I have a lot of experience with links course and with not this tough wind, but I have a lot of good experience.”

Defending champion Lilia Vu sits in outright second place just one shot behind Shin thanks to a birdie on the last. The American carded a round of 71 (-1) which included five birdies, one double bogey, and two bogeys to be within touching distance with 18 holes left to play.

World number one Nelly Korda, who led at the halfway stage, had a trickier day producing a round of 75 (+3) to slip down to third place on five-under-par.

The three-time LET winner had one double bogey and five bogeys on her scorecard alongside four birdies including one at the last to only be two shots behind leader Shin.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Korea’s Jenny Shin are one shot further back in a share of fourth place at St Andrews.

Four players are in a tie for sixth with China’s Ruoning Yin, Korea’s Jinhee Im, Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul and American Alexa Pano all on three-under-par.