Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar to play in Women's Open at iconic Old Course in St Andrews

India's Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar will tee off at the iconic Old Course here on Thursday, hoping to put aside their indifferent form at the Paris Olympics earlier this month.

The Women's Open, which carries a purse of USD 9 million, one of the biggest in the sport, will see the return of the Women's Major to St. Andrews for the first time since 2013, when Stacey Lewis won the title.

The only other time the course staged the Women's Major was in 2007, when it was won by Mexican star Lorena Ochoa.

Aditi is grouped with A Lim Kim of Korea and American Cheyenne Knight, while Diksha goes out with Japan's Hikaru Yoshimoto and Casandra Alexander. Both start on the back nine.

While Diksha has not played on the course competitively in the past, Aditi played at the Old Course in 2015 when she won the St Rule Trophy, an amateur event. Aditi went on to win the title and is the only Indian to have done it.

Aditi, who started playing at the age of five, has numerous firsts to her credit.

The only Indian woman to have won the St Rule Trophy, Aditi, who was also the first to win the LET Q-School, said, "It feels so good to see your name at the St. Rule Club (established in 1896)." "It is awesome to be part of that history," said Aditi.

"I love playing Links golf. It is the true test in golf," said Aditi, who is not putting any additional pressure on herself.

On not having won on the LPGA, where she has been playing since 2017, she said, "It will happen (sometime). I feel I have been getting two or three good rounds often, but just need to get all four going in a single week." Her best on the LPGA has been tied-second.

Diksha, 23, has charted her own path in the sport. Born with a hearing impairment, Diksha overcame several odds to win gold at the Deaflympics and then became the first golfer ever to have played the Deaflympics and the Summer Olympics, which she has done twice.

Aditi is playing her eighth Women's Open, where her best has been T-22 in 2018 -- her best in a Major is T-17 at 2024 Evian Championship. Diksha, making her fifth Women's Open start, achieved her best finish -- a tied-21 -- at the 2023 edition.

Diksha, who was with her family when their car met with an accident ahead of the Paris Olympics, said she is feeling better.

Her father, Naren Dagar, who is also her caddie, was behind the wheel when the mishap occurred.

"The (Paris incident) is behind us," said Naren Dagar. "We took a break last week and are refreshed, though this course is a challenge.

"The Open is always special," said Diksha. "Last year was good (T-21) but I will try and go better," said the two-time LET winner.

Defending champion Lilia Vu is back and will try to emulate the commanding win she fashioned at Walton Heath.

All three medallists from the Paris Olympics -- Lydia Ko, Esther Henseleit and Xiyu Lin -- are also in the field, as are a dozen past champions.