Searches for “golf rules” suddenly spiked in the lead-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in India, inspired by an unheralded golfer—Aditi Ashok’s—who represented India at the event and was 178th in world standings. The competition was held on the prestigious Kasumigaseki Country Club’s East Course. Aditi added a bit of sensational news with a scorching start in the Olympic golf tournament.
A Thrilling Battle on the Course
The course par was 71–the number of strokes a good golfer is expected to take to complete the course. In round one, Aditi returned a brilliant 67 to be level with world number one Nelly Korda of the United States. The second round was just a continuum of great performance by Aditi as she hiked her score to 66, but Korda pulled clear with a great 62 to leave Aditi in second position alongside two other players.
Near-Miss and Heartbreak on the Final Day
The third round became even more absorbing as Korda dropped behind to let Aditi close the gap and establish her position at second position. However, on the final day, Aditi struggled for under-par scores in the first four holes and lost out to Lydia Ko, the silver medallist from Rio 2016. Despite a fine recovery with birdies—those magical one-stroke-under-par—Aditi just missed the medal podium by a whisker. The near-miss at the 17th – where the ball grazed the edge – was dear as Korda sewed up the gold, and Japan’s Mone Inami defeated Ko in a play-off for silver.
Aditi’s Rise in 2023
It has been three years since Aditi Ashok reworked her game and rose as one of the fearsome competitors on the global golf circuit. She worked significantly on driving distances to get closer to the hole off the tee. The best year was 2023 when she had two wins, two seconds, one third and four more top-10 finishes. She finished the year at 42nd in world rankings, touching a career-best of 39th in early 2024.
Challenges in 2024 and the Way Forward
The 2024 season has been anything but spectacular for Aditi. She has labored to finish in the top 10 in 15 events and has seen her ranking slide to 60th. But she is still in pursuit of that elusive victory in a golf major. She did create history at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games when she won a silver medal for India, though she lost out on gold after squandering a seven-stroke lead.
Aditi’s Quest for Glory At Paris 2024
While Aditi Ashok may not be among the top favorites based on statistics for Paris 2024, she certainly stands out to be one of the most powerful contenders to stand on the podium. One of her strengths is a great short game.
Olympic fields are typically weaker than professional events because of the limits on the number of golfers each country can send. The twenty-six-year-old Aditi now proved that she could match the very best in the world and was reflective of her outing in a 2023 event where she finished ahead of Korda, who still is the world number one.
Aditi’s Medal Hopes
The more that Aditi Ashok replicates the strong start she made at Tokyo 2020, the more she can stay within medal contention at Paris 2024. Equipped with talent and determination alike, she stands firmly level with others in the field and all of India will no doubt be watching keenly as she takes to the course in hope of an historic Olympic finish.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
