Pair of Indian golfers off to strong start at 2024 Paris Olympics, including Deaflympics gold medalist Diksha Dagar

07/08/2024 17:00

Diksha Dagar wasn't the Indian player who came into the Paris Olympics with much of a spotlight, but the two-time Deaflympics medalist got off to a strong start at Le Golf National. Dagar, 23, opened with a 1-under 71 despite bogeys on her last two holes to position herself inside the top 10.

It was Dagar's countrywoman Aditi Ashok, who contended early at the Rio Olympics and finished fourth in Tokyo, who arrived late to Paris with a good amount of buzz. Ashok doubled the last hole to shoot an even-par 72 and take a share of 12th.

Dagar, a two-time winner on the LET who plays golf left-handed, learned the game from her father Narinda, a scratch golfer who serves in the Indian army. Dagar was born deaf and has worn hearing aids since the age of six. Younger brother Yogesh is also hearing impaired.

Olympics: Photos | Field | Wednesday tee times

Dagar relishes the opportunity to inspire.

"When I was playing tournaments, I had no idea what I was doing, but when the people come to me … and they are deaf like me, they ask, 'I follow you, and it’s very inspiring to see you,' " said Dagar.

"I mean, it feels so good, like it feels amazing. At least I’m walking on the right path and I want to do something better and inspire them more."

It was already an eventful Olympic experience for Dagar before she even struck a tee shot. Last week in Paris, Dagar and her family were involved in a car accident that left her mother hospitalized.

"It's OK, you can’t avoid the accident," said Dagar. "It happened. Like it was nobody’s fault … it was terrible accident but by God’s grace we are safe. I’m very lucky and blessed to play the Olympics the second time."

A five-time winner on the LET, Ashok has come close to winning on the LPGA and couldn't pass up an opportunity to play one of her favorite courses on tour, Columbia Edgewater in Portland, Oregon, prior to coming to the Olympics. She’s the only LPGA player in the field of 60 to compete in last week’s Portland Classic.

Ashok holed her final putt on Sunday in Oregon at 4:10 local time, and while her dad hustled to pack up the car, Ashok showered and then rushed to the airport to catch an overnight flight to London. By the time she made it to her hotel room, she was out for the night.

Ashok, who’d come to Le Golf National earlier in the summer to practice, kept her work on Tuesday to the range and kicked off her third Olympic appearance the next day.

Ashok had her father on the bag in Rio while her mom looped in Toyko. This week it's back to dad.

"I kind of kept it simple for the most part," said Ashok of Round 1. "Sometimes I feel like I was too defensive but I think with the way the course was set up today and the wind, that actually helped me because I was just making pars when some people were maybe dropping shots that. Actually worked out, except for the last hole."

Ashok's social media profiles blew up after she contended down the stretch three years ago in Tokyo, finishing two strokes behind gold medalist Nelly Korda. Ashok was 178th in the world at the time and put on a putting showcase in Japan. Her Twitter account grew by 204 percent, while her Instagram jumped 873 percent. Even the prime minister and the president weighed in.

"To see it become that widespread and to know people woke up early in the morning to watch me play, not just golfers, but the average person who doesn’t know golf," said Ashok, "that meant a lot to me."