De Roey, Hewson lead Women's Indian Open; Hitaashee, Mannat among top Indians

England's Alice Hewson, overnight joint leader, maintained her lead on day three of the 16th Women's Indian Open, with a prize purse of USD 400,000. She was joined at 3 under par 213 by Belgium's Manon De Roey at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Saturday. De Roey, second on the Ladies European Tour's Order of Merit, was one of only two players to conquer the challenging DLF course on Moving Day, carding a 7 under 65 alongside Austria's Emma Spitz.

In total, 13 players scored under par on the third day of South Asia's only LET event, with only the two leaders and the third-placed player remaining under par after 54 holes. England's Liz Young (74-74-67), who was 8 under through 15 holes, held a two-stroke lead at one stage. However, she dropped a shot on each of her final three holes, finishing with a 67. This placed her solely in third on 2 under 214, advancing nine spots from her overnight 12th position.

While De Roey (74-74-65) rose from tied 16th to a share of the lead, Spitz (76-75-65) - who made a rare eagle on the par-4 17th hole - was the day's other big mover, climbing from tied 35th to sole fourth, three shots off the lead. Reflecting on her day, De Roey said, "Today was very good. I created a lot of birdie chances, hit it close on several holes, and made some putts. That's quite the difference from the first two days, where I didn't make as many putts. Today, it was very solid."

Looking ahead to Sunday's final round, the 32-year-old commented, "I'm just going to stick to my game plan. This course is tough and challenging. There's a lot of golf left to play, and there are plenty of opportunities out there. I'm excited about tomorrow."

Co-leader Hewson added, "My round was solid today. I got off to a quick start with two birdies but followed them with two bogeys. I settled into my rhythm and played solidly afterwards, making good saves with pars, though I missed a few birdie chances. We're just taking it a shot at a time, having fun, and managing the course carefully, especially as the wind picked up. Nothing changes for tomorrow - I'll just go out, enjoy it, and see how it unfolds."

After 54 holes, Hitaashee Bakshi (80-68-73), tied 15th at 5 over 221, was the highest-placed Indian among the nine who made the halfway cut. Bakshi led impressive amateur Mannat Brar (76-75-71, T21) by one stroke on a day when the home contingent largely fell back.

Pranavi Urs, tied seventh after 36 holes, returned a 77 on Saturday that included a triple bogey, a double, and three bogeys against three birdies, dropping her to T-21st. Ridhima Dilawari slipped from tied 12th overnight to shared 35th with a 7 over 79. DLF players Tvesa Malik and Vani Kapoor were tied 35th and 41st, respectively.

Vani Kapoor (75) finished T-41, Ananya Garg (75) T-48, amateur Janneya Dasannjee (76) T-51, and Diksha Dagar (80) T-55. The impressive Brar was the only Indian to return a sub-par round on Saturday, scoring four birdies against three dropped shots. Earlier this year, the 17-year-old became the first Indian to reach the semi-finals of the R&A Girls Amateur Championship. At the challenging DLF course, she carded rounds of 76 and 75 over the first two days.

The 27-year-old Hewson remains in title contention, following her steady 71 on Saturday, aiming for her second title this year after her win at the VP Bank Swiss Open. Co-leader De Roey, 32, also a winner this season at the Investec SA Open, capped the day with the only bogey-free card, highlighted by seven birdies. (ANI)