In a thrilling third round at the Hero Women's Indian Open, Diksha Dagar, a 22-year-old Indian golfing sensation, kept her hopes alive with a spectacular birdie-birdie finish, carding a commendable 1-under 71. Diksha's roller-coaster round had her positioned in fourth place, just five shots behind the leader.

 

 

Diksha Dagar

 

 

Germany's Aline Krauter, who shot a superb 3-under on the front nine, couldn't maintain the momentum, but she managed to stretch her lead from one to two shots. Following closely behind was Sweden's Sara Kjellker, who rebounded from a double bogey on the first hole to post an impressive 4-under 68, securing her the second-place spot at 9-under.

 

 

Madelene Stavnar, the first-round leader and a close friend of Sara Kjellker, held the third position after carding a 69. Despite a shaky start with a double bogey, she managed to bounce back.

 

 

Madelene Stavnar

 

 

Diksha Dagar, currently fourth on the Race to Costa Del Sol, had a promising round with six birdies and two bogeys. She recognized that the greens were faster than the previous day and expressed confidence in her ability to improve her position in the tournament.

 

 

Local favorite Vani Kapoor had a challenging day, finishing tied for fifth with England's Hannah Burke after a disappointing 74. Vani seemed to be managing well through the front nine, with two birdies and a bogey, but a series of bogeys on the back nine left her seven shots behind the leader.

 

 

Aline Krauter, who was seeking her first win on the LET, expressed excitement about being in the lead and praised her caddie for his support. She acknowledged the challenge of maintaining her position on the final day.

 

 

Sara Kjellker, despite a difficult start, managed to make a comeback and attributed her strong performance to her friendship with Madelene Stavnar.

 

 

Sara Kjellker

 

 

Amateur golfer Avani Prashanth displayed resilience with a round that included five birdies against three bogeys and a double bogey.

 

Gaurika Bishnoi salvaged her round with five birdies but had to contend with five bogeys and a double bogey, finishing in T-12.

 

 

Nishtha Madan, competing on both the Epson Tour in the US and this event, had the best round among Indian players on the third day, finishing at T-19. Amateur Vidhatri Urs also found herself in the same position after a 73.

 

Ridhima Dilawari was at 2-over for three days, placing her at T-25, followed by Khushi Khanijau at T-34, Amandeep Drall at T-37, and Neha Tripathi at T-40.