Tvesa Malik breaks new ground at Czech Ladies Open golf

Young Indian golfer Tvesa Maik made the most of a fine start to pocket her first top-20 finish outside India at the Ladies European Tour on Sunday.

At the Czech Ladies Open, the 25-year-old Tvesa was on the money heading out for the final round and barely let her momentum slip to wrap up the event with an aggregate score of five-under 211 (70, 72, 69) for a share of the 20th spot.

Malik’s previous best outside India was a tied-27 at the Kenya Open in December. 

The other Indian in action, Diksha Dagar, however, endured a difficult final round as she slipped to a seven-over 79 in the third to finish with six-over 222 on aggregate. She finished tied-67.

Meanwhile, Denmark’s Emily Pedersen banked on her phenomenal early rounds to take home the title with an aggregate 17-under 199 (63, 65, 71) for her first title in five years.

Fine start

Having made the cut following a two-under score on Saturday, Tvesa Malik was eager to build on her form in the final round. And the manner in which she teed off at the Beroun Golf Club just outside Prague, the Indian golfer looked on course for something special.

With the conditions ideal for golf, Tvesa Malik began well with a birdie on the 10th, her first hole for the day, and stayed in the game with an even-par showing in the following nine holes before sinking in another birdie on the par-five second.  

While two more birdies followed on the fifth and the seventh, the Indian golfer putted her only bogey of the round on the ninth that saw her settle for the 20th spot.

Diksha Dagar, meanwhile, endured a topsy-turvy round on Sunday ladened with three birdies, five bogeys and three double bogeys and just seven pars.

Nervy Dane

It wasn’t smooth sailing for champion Emily Pedersen too as she came from an early bogey on the fourth, her opening hole for the day, to make a case for the title.

But as the round progressed, the 24-year-old Pedersen gathered herself to finish with a fantastic 80ft eagle putt on the 18th hole to win by four-shots at 17-under-par. 

“It feels good to be back, the last two to three years have been hard. I’ve had doubts about whether I would compete again and I am so happy my coach didn’t quit on me,” Pedersen told the Ladies European Tour website.

“My friends didn’t quit on me, my boyfriend and my family, because it’s been tough, I’ve been tough on myself and had to figure out what needed to be done. It feels so good to be back.”

What next on the Ladies European Tour

The Ladies European Tour heads to Switzerland with the 2020 VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open at the Golfpark Holzhäusern from September 10.