Aditi Ashok is now headed to the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in July
Aditi Ashok’s recent run of form on the LPGA tour – three top-5 finishes in her last six starts – had raised expectations for her going into the US$9 million KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the second women’s major of the season. Unfortunately, for Indian golf fans, Ashok struggled on her way to a 14-over 298 finish that left her in 76th place. She shot 74-71-77-76, failing to break par in any of her four rounds on the historic Baltusrol Golf Club.
Statistics show that Aditi averaged 246 yards off the tee , a good 20 plus yards behind the eventual tournament winner Ruoning Yin of China, who averaged 268 yards. And with her putting not at its best on the weekend, she struggled to shoot her usual scores.
Her participation, however, marked her 24th major appearance, the most by any Indian golfer, ahead of Anirban Lahiri who has played 18.
So far this season Ashok has made seven cuts in 10 LPGA events, with four top-10 finishes including a playoff loss in April in Los Angeles, California. She gets a week off before the LPGA tour resumes with its third major, the U.S. Women’s Open, July 6-9 at another iconic golf course – Pebble Beach Golf Links in California.
In September, she will represent India as part of the three-member Asian Games ladies team, alongside 16-year-old amateur Avani Prashanth and 19-year-old Pranavi Urs. All three players are from Bangalore, evidence of the city’s reputation as a breeding ground of Indian golfers.
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Photo – LET Flickr