Diksha and Aditi are in the final major of the season
The AIG Women’s Open, the final major on the women’s golf calendar, features Indian Olympians Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar this week at Scotland’s historic St. Andrews, which many consider the birthplace of golf.
Aditi Ashok, 26, who has spent the last eight years competing on the LPGA Tour, will be playing in her 32nd career major—a record for any Indian golfer. She secured her spot in the tournament by finishing among the top 60 on the 2023 LPGA Money List.
Diksha Dagar, 23, will be making her eighth major appearance. Last year, she impressed with a tied-21st finish at the Women’s Open, shooting an even-par 288. Diksha earned her place in the field by finishing 3rd on the final 2023 LET Rankings and winning the 2023 Czech Open. She currently stands 15th on the 2024 LET Rankings but is yet to secure a win.
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This tournament presents a huge opportunity for Diksha and Aditi to boost earnings, carrying a whopping $9.5 million purse, which is many multiples of the purse sizes of tournaments they play the rest of the year. In fact the purse this week is up three times from the US$3 million offered in 2016.
Each of them could virtually double their earnings so far this year with good finishes. Aditi has earned $388,432 in 2024, ranking 62nd on the LPGA Money List which is almost equal to the 5th place prize this week .
While the increase in the Women’s Open prize fund is a positive development, it still pales in comparison to the men’s British Open, which offered a total purse of US$ 17 million this July, with US$ 3.1 million going to the winner.
Photo – LET