India’s Avani Prashanth tops the leaderboard heading into the final day of the Hulencourt Women’s Open, after carding a composed 68 (-3) on moving day in Belgium.
The LET rookie secured four birdies on a much cooler day at Hulencourt, with her only blemish coming on the 18th hole. With 18 holes remaining, she will take a one-shot advantage into Sunday’s final round.
“The wind switched up today, so it was like a different golf course altogether”, said Prashanth. “I definitely had to play a little conservatively in some places, which I don’t like to do, but obviously I was forced to. I just stayed patient the whole time.”
The 18-year-old produced a standout moment on the 14th, holing an impressive birdie putt from off the green.
“I misjudged that number a little bit, but I’m glad it turned out the way it did. The temperatures were down a little bit today which I guess made it slightly easier. Yesterday, everyone was complaining about the heat, but I think golf was a little easier for everyone today. I preferred it a bit more yesterday because of how far the ball was going, but I’m definitely happy that it wasn’t as hot. I had to try really hard to focus all day yesterday, and by the 8th and 9th holes, I was so tired, so thankfully that didn’t happen today.”
Heading into tomorrow, the teen said: “There will obviously be some nerves, but I just try and forget about it. I love playing under pressure and I love chasing, but thankfully I don’t have to do that now, so I’m just going to put my best foot forward tomorrow and see how it goes.”
France’s Nastasia Nadaud and Wales’ Darcey Harry sit in a tie for second place heading into tomorrow, with scorecards of nine-under par.
Nadaud began the day four shots off the pace but closed the gap with a strong third round, finishing just one shot off the lead.
“It was a very good day – I think I hit the ball very well and gave myself opportunities,” said the 20-year-old.
“Today was a bit better weather wise. It was so hot yesterday, and the rain [during today’s round] felt refreshing to be honest.”
She knows what it’s like to play under pressure having secured victory over Team Hall in a three-hole playoff at the Aramco Team Series – London last year.
“There’s still 18 holes to play, and I need to try and stick to the same mindset, but we’ll see what happens out there tomorrow. I think those small wins really help, especially in that that playoff against Georgia [Hall], as it was a stressful time. It’s given me great experience.”
Harry had a composed Saturday with an eagle on the 10th, as well as three birdies. The rookie dropped her only shot of the day on the 12th hole.
“It was really good day. The front nine was very steady. I had a nice birdie on a par-five and kept hitting fairways, hitting greens and trying to hole putts. I had another nice long putt drop again which was so good to see.
“The greens are really nice here, so it’s quite easy if you hit a good shot to bounce back because the putts are rolling really smoothly.”
The rookie is relishing the opportunity to contend in Sunday’s final round.
“I just want to go out and enjoy it,” she said with a smile.
The 22-year-old is also celebrating her birthday today and joked that her secret to success this week might just be her dinner routine: “I’ve been going to the same Italian restaurant every night and having bolognaise – so that might be helping.”
Germany’s Helen Briem – the overnight leader – sits in solo fourth place on eight-under par after 54 holes. Briem carded two bogeys but was able follow them up with two birdies making it a solid par round for the day.
“It was solid”, said the 19-year-old. “It was far away from good, but I’ll take it. I like the position for tomorrow.”
Heading into tomorrow, she described her driving today was good, but she had problems with her wedges, so will be hoping it will be better tomorrow.
“Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have some good chances to go low and the putts will drop.“
As well as having her Dad on her bag, Briem is also joined by her sister and Mum. “It’s been lovely to have them all watching,” she said. “When you see someone you know out there on the course, it’s really nice.”
A further shot back is Singapore’s Shannon Tan and Australia’s Kelsey Bennett, who sit in a share of fifth place on seven-under par.
“Today was a bit shaky to be honest”, said Tan. “I missed some fairways and greens out there so could have gone better. I made a couple of good putts on five and six, and gave myself some chances.”
The 21-year-old LET winner sets high standards for herself and said: “Missing fairways is just human and it happens. The course looks quite wide open, but at the same time you have to be very precise off the tee.”
It was a solid round for 25-year-old Bennett who set the pace on the first day, carding two birdies during Saturday.
It’s a tight leaderboard with four players in a share of seventh place. England’s Cara Gainer, Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby, Ireland’s Lauren Walsh, and Hong Kong’s Ginnie Ding, all fired rounds of six-under par after 54 holes.
Gainer fired an impressive six-under for the day around a much cooler Hulencourt. She carded a bogey-free round to make it a solid round for the LET winner.
“I had a bit of a struggle yesterday after a good start in round one, so I knew I had to come out all guns blazing today,” said the 29-year-old.
“Yesterday was absolutely boiling – a real challenge, especially in the morning when there wasn’t much wind. I’ve also been dealing with a wrist injury lately, which makes it tough to commit fully to my shots. I had some treatment yesterday afternoon and double iced it – which I don’t usually do – and thankfully, it felt much better today. It doesn’t affect the short game too much, but it’s definitely noticeable on the longer shots.”
Gainer, who opened with a three-under-par round that included a triple-bogey and seven birdies, has clearly found her rhythm.
“I know the birdies are out there,” she added. “The course really suits my game and I’ve been putting well.”
It’s been a breakout season for Gainer, who claimed her maiden LET title at the season-opener Lalla Meryem Cup. Since then, she’s continued to impress with a runner-up finish at the Australian Women’s Classic and a T3 at the Jabra Ladies Open.
“I almost feel at home here now,” she said about Hulencourt. “Not quite the same as my home course, but other courses locally. It’s in great condition and it’s a fun track because you can make a lot of birdies. If you make a mistake, you can bounce back quickly, and you never know what can happen if you get on a good run. It’s anyone’s game, really.”
The leaderboard is tightly packed, with just four shots separating the top 10 players, setting the stage for an exciting final day.
The fourth and final round of the Hulencourt Women’s Open gets underway tomorrow at 9:05am local time. The leaders will go out at 11:05am.
Watch live and follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook –#HulencourtWomensOpen.
