GOTHENBURG, Jun 10: Indian women golfers Tvesa Malik and Diksha Dagar matched two-time European Tour champion Shubhankar Sharma as they all shot two-under 70 in the first round of the unique One million Euro Scandinavian Mixed Masters here.
The trio was lying Tied-52nd in a field of 156, comprising 78 men and 78 women from European Tour and Ladies European Tour. The cut looks likely at two-under or three-under in the unique event hosted by Annika Sorenstam and Henrik Stenson.
Ajeetesh Sandhu shot even par 72 and was lying 90th in a field where the top-65, regardless of gender, will make the cut. Many were yet to finish their first round.
Tvesa, coming in with two Top-10 finishes in the last two starts, started with a double and Diksha started with a bogey. Diksha had three birdies thereafter and finished at 2-under.
Tvesa hit back after the double with three birdies in next four holes, before dropping a shot on par-5 sixth. On the back nine she bogeyed 12th, but picked three birdies in next four holes, once again, to finish at 2-under.
Sharma, on the other hand, had a stunning start from the 10th with an eagle-birdie-birdie to be four-under after three holes.
From 4-under, he hit a bogey trail with dropped shots on 14th, 17th, first and a double on second day to fall to 1-over. Once again Sharma fought back with three birdies in a row from fourth to sixth for a 2-under.
Sandhu had three birdies against three bogeys.
The men are playing off 7060 yards from the black tees and the women off 6138 yards from the Ladies tee.
Ironically, sitting right at the top of this Mixed event, was one player from each Tour.
Christine Wolf of Austria and Sam Horsfield of England shared the lead with 8-under 64 each. Four players, all men, were at 7-under 65.
Wolf, whose solitary win on the LET came in India at the Hero Women’s Indian Open in 2019, had six birdies and an eagle.
Horsfield, whose two ET wins came at Hero Open and Celtic Classic in a span of three weeks in August during the pandemic last year, had nine birdies and a bogey.
Wolf apart, there was another LET player, Felicity Johnson (66) among the Top-10.
Three other women players Leonie Harm and Laura Fuenfstueck of Germany and local Swede Caroline Hedwall were T-11 at 67, alongside four men — Richie Ramsey, David Horsey, Joost Luiten and Jamie Donaldson. (PTI)
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