The fifth edition of the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open, which was held at the Royal Beroun Golf Club, took place to the great satisfaction of all participants of this important event of the Ladies European Tour.
Czech golf was delighted with six players in the cut and especially the best home player, Denisa Vodičková, who shared 17th place as an amateur, and two other players – defending champion Jana Melichová and last year’s LET Access Series winner Sara Kousková – in the Top 30. Just under the top 30 was Klára Davidson Spilková, who, after the tournament, moved up to 3rd place in the year-long European Race to Costa del Sol ranking. Step into the final was also a success for professional Katerina Vlasinova and amateur Patricia Mackova, who passed the cut again.
The tournament once again had a great winner, Diksha Dagar, whose second LET title in four years attracted attention not only in India, a country with a population of about a billion people and a long-standing golfing tradition. Dagar, who has had a hearing impairment since birth, is the first-ever participant in both the Olympics and the Deaflympics to win second place. She played excellent golf, evidenced by a winning score of 13 under par, and tied the tournament course record. With a performance of 63 shots, nine under par, Laura Beveridge of Scotland repeated the record set in 2020 by the tournament’s later winner, Emily Kristine Pedersen.
The Dane also won the overall Ladies European Tour season standings, as did another Beroun champion, Thailand’s Atthaya Thittikul, a year later, who also became world number one last year. Last year’s Tipsport Czech Ladies Open saw Jana Melichová’s breakthrough title, and one can only look forward to seeing how Diksha Dagar will use her success.
“It was a success in every aspect, if I may say so. We registered another significant increase in media interest, especially since more spectators came to support the Czech players than the previous year. Again, the team of head greenkeeper Martin Sindler prepared the course to the highest quality, which was also widely appreciated by the players. The weather was good, making the tournament run without interruptions or glitches. The spectators could go with some attractive flights in the finals. It’s just a pity that the Czech golfers did not use a successful play on Sunday (4th and 5th place after nine holes) for even better placings, but such is the nature of this sport,” said the tournament promoter Luboš Koželuh from Premier Sports.
Joao Pinto, the tournament director, also praised the tournament with the increased prize money to EUR 300,000, i.e., CZK 7,200,000. “I run thirteen LET tournaments a year, and the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open is one of the best and one of my favorites,” said the Portuguese.
The players themselves also expressed their praise for the promoter. “I would like to thank you for the tournament, which was one of the most enjoyable for me this year. The course and clubhouse are great, and the tournament has had great support from spectators and volunteers. The players loved Beroun’s restaurant and clubhouse terrace, where we had beautiful evenings. I’m looking forward to coming back next year,” wrote the English Lily May Humphreys, who won the South African Women’s Open at the LET for the first time this year, to the promoter.
“As always it was a fantastic event, and a great opportunity to see many Czech players in action,” wrote Czech national team coach Harry Scott.
Tipsport Czech Ladies Open would like to thank all its sponsors and partners, including the title sponsor Tipsport, Royal Beroun Golf Club, O2 TV Sport for more than thirteen hours of live coverage, spectators, volunteers and referees for the successful running of the 5th edition of the most important tournament for Czech women’s golf and looks forward to seeing you in 2024.
