METEORIC RISE OF YOUNG INDIAN GOLFER ADITI ASHOK

Indian Golf Queen Aditi Ashok 

This weekend, Aditi Ashok registered her first top 10 place on the LPGA Tour as she finished a tied eighth at the Marathon Classic. The young indian golfer, playing her rookie season, bettered her previous best of tied 25th achieved at NW Arkansas Championships last month. She began the final day, tied third and was in contention for her maiden LPGA. With some luck, she would have joined the elite list of golfers who have won in their rookie year on the LPGA Tour, but alas the fairy tale didn't finish the way it started last week. Nevertheless, a spirited performance from the 19 year old, who is now 69th on the LPGA rankings and 86 in the world. Aditi however, owing to her top-10 finish at the Marathon, has qualified for RICOH Women’s British Open, the fourth major of the year.

In a country, where there is not much focus on Golf, where world class golf courses are only few in number, talent hunt and junior programmes are rarely to be find, comes a Women Golfer in form of Aditi Ashok, who has astonishgly risen in the world circuit, turning professional only in 2016. Be it in Asian circuit or Ladies European Tour(LET) or in Ladies Professional Golf Association(LPGA) Tour, she has competed with confidence against the best in World and has come up with regular accolades.



Aditi, who represented India at the Rio Olympics last year, made a name for herself internationally making a run up the leaderboard at the mega event, where she performed above expectations in the first three rounds of the competition, slipping down only in the last round. From then on, it has only been an upward journey for Aditi.

Aditi is the first and the only Indian golfer who played the Asian Youth Games (2013), Youth Olympic Games (2014), Asian Games (2014) and Olympic Games (2016).

Aditi became the youngest and first Indian to win the Lalla Aicha Tour School and secured her Ladies European Tour card for the 2016 season. In LET tour, she had back to back wins at the Hero Women's Indian Open and the Qatar Ladies Open, winning twice as a rookie and ending the 2016 season placed second on the Order of Merit while earning the LET's Rookie of the Year award.



She also gained a LPGA Tour card for 2017 via the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament. Currently, Aditi is testing herself on the United States-based LPGA Tour, the most competitive circuit for the world's best female players. She has made the cut in six LPGA events so far- Marathon Classic(T8), ANA Inspiration(T42), Women's PGA Championship(T29), Walmart NW Arkansas Championship(T25), U.S. Women's Open and Women's British Open. A eighth finish at the Marathon Classic is her best performance till date in LPGA tour.



She is such fantastic golfer at this young age, that given support and proper exposure, she can make it to the top of the world in near future.