GURUGRAM: You can have a ball then have a free fall on the Black Knight course. But 'steady' must be Aline Krauter's middle name. The only one to return under-par scores in all three rounds, the German flashed a knowing smile. "One more day, one more day," the warning bell rang.
Friday's all-black attire changed to all-white on Saturday but she wasn't trying to make a style statement. The only expression that mattered was on the course. Her miserly giveaway of 3 bogeys in this year's Hero Women's Indian Open puts her on the right track with a total of 11-under as she claimed a two-stroke lead from Swede Sara Kjellker going into the final test. The 23-year-old, who had a glowing amateur career, stood on the cusp of her first pro triumph with a third-round 68 and it was all down to her ball striking. "Same as the last couple of days," she said. "Nothing has changed; I didn't make that many putts."
She conceded her first bogey in 36 holes, on the dreaded par-4 14th, but recovered instantly on the 15th. "It's always important to bounce back after a bogey. It wasn't terrible, just a difficult hole," said the Stanford University graduate, willing to make a concession.
While many have sworn off the driver this week, the 2020 Women's Amateur Championship winner swung it hard, and so far, it has paid dividends. And that is another story. Krauter's driver shaft was cracked on the flight to Delhi, and home pro Tvesa Malik helped her out with a new one from the DLF performance centre. "Definitely been lucky for me," the rookie on both the LPGA and Ladies European Tours said.
Sitting 116 in the Order of Merit here, having played mostly on the more lucrative tour, the Stuttgart pro chose to play in India her seventh Europe event - in pursuit of a card for next season. "First time here, enjoying it," there was that thumbs-up. Vani Kapoor is 120 in the race. Her chances of keeping a card have improved but her title hopes slipped with a twoover-74 round.
Another lip-out on the 18th, and the 29-year-old saw the gap with Krauter extend to 7strokes from the overnight 1.
"One of those days when the scores didn't reflect my game," said Vani, who was 1-under at the turn before dropping 4 bogeys in 6 holes and recovering a shot on the 17th. Diksha Dagar dug in for closing birdies on the 17th and 18th for a one-under 71, and was five strokes from the top in fourth place. Europe's No. 4 is eyeing gains in the merit department, but ruing "some silly mistakes" that affected her round. Avani Prashanth remained tied-7th with a level par round.
The DLF Golf & Country Club is no stranger to drama, and second-placed Kjellker found herself three-over after three holes. Needing birdies to calm her nerves, the floodgates opened with a stretch of five birdies from the 7th to 11th. Her card read 8 birdies, 2 bogeys, 1 double bogey. With "comfort blanket" Madelene Stavner for company and a good laugh, Sara promised to be "in the hunt."
Day 1 leader Stavner was in sole third place, four strokes behind the elusive Krauter. The stress was on "fun" but it will be so much more on judgment day.
Round 3 scores:
205 (11-under)-Aline Krauter (Ger) 69-68-68; 207-Sara Kjellker (Swe) 73-66-68; 209-Madelene Stavner (Nor) 66-74-69; 210-Diksha Dagar (Ind) 67-72-71; 212-Hannah Burke (Eng) 70-70-72, Vani Kapoor (Ind) 68-70-74; Selected score: 213-Avani Prashanth (Ind, amateur) 71-70-72.
