Gurugram, Oct 11: India's Hitaashee Bakshi continued her impressive run at the Hero Women's Indian Open 2025, carding a steady two-under 70 in the third round to retain her lead at nine-under 207 at the DLF Golf & Country Club on Saturday (October 11).
The 21-year-old local golfer, who's leading for the first time on the Ladies European Tour (LET) for two consecutive days, looked composed even as she battled tricky conditions and fatigue on the back nine. With this, Hitaashee goes into the final round carrying India's hopes of ending a nine-year wait since Aditi Ashok's 2016 triumph at the same venue.
"It's good. Like I said, I don't really think that much - I'm just going one shot at a time. It's my home course, no pressure, so just go out and
play," said Hitaashee after her round.
Hitaashee Battles the Rough, Stays Calm Under Pressure
Hitaashee admitted that the back nine tested her patience. "It was exhausting in the back nine because the rough really got to me. There was like a birdie-bogey, birdie-bogey pattern that started, but I'm really glad that I followed it all through the end," she said.
She described her double bogey on the seventh with a candid smile, "It was a 92-yard shot from the middle of the fairway, and I chunked it - which was very unexpected. Then I chunked the next chip too, so that was a double bogey. But I stayed calm from there on. "
Despite those hiccups, her ability to recover left many impressed. A bogey on the 14th didn't rattle her either. "I ended up in the bush on the left side. I just chipped out and made a bogey - that's okay on this course," she added.
Nine Years, Nine Under - The Lucky Number?
The DLF member laughed off talk about "pressure" to become the next Indian champion. "It's been nine years since an Indian last won, but that gives me more edge. Nine years, nine under - maybe nine's a lucky number," she quipped.
She also credited the strong Indian presence in the leaderboard, saying the course plays no favourites. "This is DLF - anything can happen. It doesn't matter where you're from. You can hit great shots on the range and still be puzzled on T1," she said.
Hitaashee said she stopped checking the scorecard on the back nine as she battled inconsistency. She had a chance for birdie at the 18th - her approach came up just short of the bunker, but the local favourite scrambled nicely from the rough and two-putted for par.
Alice Hewson stays in close pursuit
Meanwhile, England's Alice Hewson shot a brilliant 69 (-3) to remain three shots behind at -6 (210), keeping herself firmly in contention. The 28-year-old pro - who has three LET titles, with one in this season during the Swiss Ladies Open, shot back-to-back birdies at 17th and 18th hole to come back strongly after hitting three bogies on the front nine.
Hewson - who is currently placed tenth on the LET Order of Merit leaderboard - said, "I really enjoy it here. The course kind of suits my eye quite well, there aren't many courses that you go to in a year where you can turn around and say that. So it puts such a high premium on fairways and greens, and when you do that, you seem to come away with a few birdies, which is nice. "
Reflecting on her performance in the third round, she said, "It was an unusual round - eight holes without a par! But I stayed patient. I love this course; it rewards fairways and greens. "
Hewson also conceded that there have been a few holes that she's struggled at the DLF and the 14th has been a challenge for almost everyone, and it was no different to the English.
At the 14th hole, the longest par-4 is a two-shot challenge. OB stretches along the left; rugged contours and native rough guard the right. Though the green looks straightforward, subtle breaks make it tricky, players try favouring the left on their approach and let the slopes carry the ball to the middle but it is easier said that done as seven of the top 10, including Bakshi and Hewson, either bogied or double bogied today.
"I've struggled with the second hole a little bit this year. If I'm not necessarily getting a drive in exactly the right place, in that green, you have to be coming in from the fairway. That's really the trickiest one. And then 14, it's the hardest hole in the golf course for a reason. But I seem to have navigated that one okay so far this week. "
Talking about her strategy for the final day, Hewson - who finished tied 11th on the final day - second's Hitaashee's observation about the Gary Player Course here and said, "I'm just going to go and kind of try and keep steady. And you just have to stay really calm and collected out there. Whether you make birdies or bogeys, you just kind of have to brush it off and carry on because this course is so demanding. "
Four Other Indians Finish in Top 10
At third place in round three was India's Pranavi Urs, who finished the day at +1 (73) for an overall -2 (212), admitting she didn't strike the ball or putt as well as she'd like. "It was a bit of a struggle. But one-over was pretty good with the way I played," she said.
"The bogies were just - I didn't putt well and I had a double on the 14th - had a three-putt which was not the best, but we'll go again tomorrow. I think tomorrow's going to be go big or go home. I think I'm going to try and go for it as much as I can," the 22-year-old said about her plans for day four.
Other Indians in the top 10 after Round 3 include Avani Prashanth (-2), Zara Anand (a) (-2), and Vani Kapoor (-1) - making it five Indians inside the top 10, underlining a strong domestic performance in this year's field.
| Pos | Player | Country | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hitaashee Bakshi | IND | N/A | N/A | 70 | 207 | -9 |
| 2 | Alice Hewson | ENG | 69 | 72 | 69 | 210 | -6 |
| 3 | Pranavi Urs | IND | 72 | 67 | 73 | 212 | -4 |
| 4 | Avani Prashanth | IND | N/A | N/A | 70 | 214 | -2 |
| 4 | Kelsey Bennett | AUS | N/A | N/A | 72 | 214 | -2 |
| 4 | Shannon Tan | SIN | N/A | N/A | 73 | 214 | -2 |
| 4 | Lisa Pettersson | SWE | N/A | N/A | 74 | 214 | -2 |
| 4 | Zara Anand | IND (a) | N/A | N/A | 76 | 214 | -2 |
| 9 | Kajsa Arwefjäll | SWE | N/A | N/A | 70 | 215 | -1 |
| 9 | Vani Kapoor | IND | N/A | N/A | 74 | 215 | -1 |
What Lies Ahead
With one round to play, Hitaashee Bakshi stands on the brink of history. A win would make her the first Indian to claim the Hero Women's Indian Open title since Aditi Ashok - and the first to do it on the LET since 2016. But as she says, "This is DLF, anything can happen. "
