Diksha improves as Aditi slips in third round

India’s Diksha Dagar played a steady round of even-par 72 with a birdie and a bogey to be one-over and placed tied-35th up from tied-47th after the third round of the Women’s Open at Walton Heath. Diksha’s senior country-mate, Aditi Ashok, playing her 27th Major, struggled to a 3-over 75, despite a closing birdie and is now tied-28th from T-9 at the halfway stage. Going into the final round, Diksha has scores of 74-71-72, while Aditi has carded 72-69-75 after 54 holes. England’s Charley Hull (68) and America’s Lilia Vu (67), on nine-under-par after three rounds, are sharing the top spot. Aditi, who has four Ladies European Tour (LET) wins including the Hero Indian Open, seemed headed for a disastrous round as she bogeyed three times on the front nine.She accumulated more bogeys on the 11th and 12th to go 5-over. However, birdies on the 13th, 15th and 18th helped salvage the round, though she had another bogey on the 17th. Diksha had 10 pars to start her third round and birdied the Par-5 11th, but gave away a shot on Par-4 15th and parred the remaining holes. Aditi found just 10 of the 15 fairways. She needed 32 putts and had 10 greens in regulation out of 18. Diksha had 15 greens in regulation but needed 33 putts. Home favourite Hull fired a round of 68 (-4) on day three, which put her in contention for the title at the final major of the year. The three-time LET winner made a birdie on the first before dropping a shot on the second. Hull then made further birdies on the eighth and 11th. The 27-year-old Hull dropped another shot on the 14th but got into the groove, making three consecutive birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th to move to the top of the leader board.