Aline all the way; Diksha finishes third

GURUGRAM: It was a battle for second place at the Hero Women's Indian Open and home hope Diksha Dagar settled for third. In the race with Swede Sara Kjellker, the Delhi girl nosed ahead by one stroke at the turn but applied the brakes on the return journey.
Sara disciplined herself, Diksha moved backwards but all in all, she was "happy" with the finish - a final-day 2-under 70 for a total of 8-under.
It meant the Indian jumped to second on the LET Order of Merit, just 78.27 points behind France's Celine Boutier with three more events to come.
The 22-year-old stressed she was still learning as the party moves to the million-dollar Riyadh event next week. "I am going to work on my weaknesses. I am also looking to improve my diet and work on my skills," said the left-hander, who had recently turned plant-based on the lines of her tennis hero Novak Djokovic.
Germany's Aline Krauter knows how to serve an ace, having played competitive tennis for a Stuttgart club in her pre-teens. But she preferred a golf swing to her forehand spin.
The rookie showed how it was done on the tricky DLF G&CC course with an under-pressure 4-under 68 to take her steady flow to 15-under and a convincing 5-stroke win over Kjellker. In the foggy morning, she wasn't quite the smooth operator with two birdies being offset by two bogeys as she saw her lead cut down to one stroke coming off the 4th green. "I hadn't made a par until five, so that was a rollercoaster. I had no control over what Sara was doing. The only thing I could change was my attitude," said the 23-year-old.
Change she did, back to her original plan. Her lithe frame, in musical motion, re-tuned the strings of her game with birdie notes on 7th, 8th and 9th. With Kjellker dropping two strokes on those three holes, there was daylight between Krauter and the rest.
The Stanford graduate, who moved to the United States at the age of 15, continued steadily on the final nine with two more birdies. She could afford to concede a bogey on the 18th with a 1st win, a 2-year European exemption, and 56,812 euros safely stuffed in the back pocket of her crimson pink skirt.
Working with a mental conditioning coach this week had worked wonders for the rookie, who enjoyed dual status on the LET and LPGA Tours this season. "When I woke up, I felt a little bit different than I did the last couple of days but I think my mindset was great."
Jetting off to the LPGA Q-School now, after she failed to retain the card on the other side, she will remember that the friendlier LET paved the way. And India, of course. "I will hopefully return to defend," she said.
For the record, it was a hat-trick of German wins at the Indian Open with Olivia Cowan winning the 2022 edition, and Marcel Siem holding aloft the men's trophy in February this year.
Three seemed the magic number, as apart from Diksha's exploits, there was plenty to cheer for the home crowd with Bengaluru's rising star Avani Prashanth finishing tied-5th and DLF's own Gaurika Bishnoi tied-8th. “Maybe I will get to win it when I turn pro," said the 17-year-old amateur, who had the Q-School on her mind.
Final scores: 273 (15-under)-Aline Krauter (Ger) 69-68-68-68; 278-Sara Kjellker (Swe) 73-66-68-71; 280-Diksha Dagar (Ind) 67-72-71-70; 281-Hannah Burke (Eng) 70-70-72-69; 282-Sara Kouskova (Cze) 72-72-73-65, Avani Prashanth (Ind, amateur) 71-70-72-69; Selected scores: 286-Gaurika Bishnoi (Ind) 72-69-74-71; 290-Vani Kapoor (Ind) 68-70-74-78.