Local Golfer Hitaashee Bakshi Shines with Bogey-Free 67 at Hero Women's Indian Open

On October 11, 2025, Hitaashee Bakshi, a 21-year-old local golfer, has taken the lead at the $500,000 Hero Women's Indian Open with a bogey-free 5-under 67 on her home course. Bakshi, whose favorite novelist is Stephen King, teed off at 6:30 AM "like a normal practice round" and kept the Indian hopes alive on the halfway stage of the tournament.

Bakshi's round included a few lucky putts, including two 40-footers on the 7th and 8th holes. Despite the course's reputation for biting back, Bakshi remained unfazed, saying, "I wasn't even thinking about it because sooner or later you will be making bogeys here. For me, it was more about how many birdies I can make."

Bakshi's strong performance comes in contrast to the struggles of overnight leader Vani Kapoor, who carded a 2-over round to drop to a tied-7th place. Meanwhile, amateur Zara Anand and Pranavi Urs are also in contention, tied for 2nd and 4th place, respectively, keeping the Indian flag flying high.

Bakshi, who was introduced to golf by her mother at the age of 5, is now looking forward to enjoying her mother's home-cooked curries before preparing for the third round. With the support of her home crowd and the comfort of her own kitchen, Bakshi will be hoping to maintain her lead and clinch the title on home soil.