Hitaashee Bakshi extends lead at Hero Women’s Indian Open

India’s Hitaashee Bakshi produced another composed round of two-under 70 to stretch her lead to three shots at the US$500,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open at DLF Golf & Country Club.

The 21-year-old remains the only player with three sub-par rounds this week (70-67-70) and sits at nine-under 207, ahead of England’s Alice Hewson (69-72-69) at six-under.

Indian Challenge Stays Strong

India continued to dominate, with Pranavi Urs (72-67-73) in solo third at four-under and Avani Prashanth (73-71-70) and amateur Zara Anand (68-70-76) tied-fourth alongside Verena Gimmy and Sara Kouskova.
Vani Kapoor (74) slipped to tied-ninth at one-under, while Amandeep Drall (72) sits tied-12th.

Steady Under Pressure

Hitaashee recovered from a double bogey on the seventh with birdies on 9, 10, and 12 to keep control.

“I just took it one shot at a time,” she said. “It’s my home course — I know it well and felt no pressure.”

Her clutch par save on the 18th, after a tough chip, sealed a strong finish.

Hewson and Pranavi in Pursuit

Three-time LET winner Hewson birdied the last two holes to stay close.

“This course rewards patience,” she said. “You have to hit fairways and greens.”

Pranavi, though not at her best, remained upbeat: “I didn’t putt well, but I’ll go all in tomorrow — it’s go big or go home.”

Rising Indian Stars

Avani Prashanth’s composed 70 kept her in contention: “It was steady, nothing flashy, but solid. I’ll need a quick start on Sunday.”

Out of 12 Indians who made the cut, six are in the top 12 — a strong statement for Indian women’s golf on home soil.

Photo – WGAI/Hitaashee Bakshi