Hero Indian Open Round 3

Alex Fitzpatrick maintained his position at the summit of the Hero Indian Open leaderboard after a gritty 3-under 69 in the third round. Despite a shaky start with a bogey on the opening hole, the Englishman showed immense composure, clawing back with four birdies to reach 13-under par for the tournament. Fitzpatrick’s ability to scramble out of the thick DLF rough proved decisive, as he saved par on several occasions to keep his nose ahead of a relentless chasing pack. The leaderboard remained incredibly tight heading into Sunday's final round. Eugenio Chacarra stayed within striking distance, carding a 4-under 68 to move into solo second at 11-under. The Spaniard’s round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 8th, which briefly drew him level with Fitzpatrick. Niklas Nørgaard surged into third place at 10-under with a spectacular 66, the low round of the day, while Freddy Schott slipped to fourth at 9-under after an inconsistent 71. For the local fans, Ajeetesh Sandhu continued his strong form, staying in the top ten at 6-under and giving India a genuine podium hope for the final 18 holes.