Wollongong (Australia), February 28 India's top star Diksha Dagar bounced back from a disappointing first round of 77 with 66-65 in the next two rounds to rise to tied 26th in the Ford Women's NSW Open here.
In the second round, Diksha had five birdies and no bogey, and she maintained the bogey-free run in the third round with six birdies. These six included four birdies in the last five holes.
She is now five under par and well-positioned to make a strong finish on the final day. Her second round of 66 helped her make the cut in 53rd place, and she then moved up to tied 26th after three days.
The other Indian players, Hitaashee Bakshi (73-73), Pranavi Urs (74-74), and Avani Prashanth (80-72), missed the cut.
The leaderboard is packed as regional qualifier Hannah Reeves is currently leading the way at 12 under par.
The 17th edition of the tournament has already produced plenty of drama due to heavy rainfall on Thursday.
After 36 holes were finally completed at Wollongong Golf Club, a shotgun start for the third round commenced at 14:45 local time with Ireland's Aine Donegan holding a two-shot lead.
Donegan started perfectly by birdieing the par-5 1st hole, and then the Irishwoman dropped five shots in her next 10 holes, opening the field up to the rest of the competitors.
Reeves, who had won three regional qualifiers, took advantage of the sunny conditions, recovering well from a bogey at the 3rd hole to card six birdies for a round of 66 (-5).
The scoreboard also featured a spectacular finish as the Australian almost holed out for an eagle three. She leads compatriot Kelsey Bennett by one shot with 18 holes remaining in New South Wales.
Thailand's April Angurasaranee had a memorable day, posting her best ever round of golf, a 62 (-9), which included a hole-in-one at the 170-yard par-3 12th hole.
Angurasaranee is tied for third with France's Agathe Laisne and 17-year-old amateur Soomin Oh from South Korea.
Six players round off the top-10 on eight under par.
