Aditi Ashok.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Bengaluru: The sound of the swing at impact, during Aditi Ashok’s tee shot on the par-3 16th hole, was so pure that it gave goosebumps to the purists. The golf ball landed on the green and missed the pin by inches, forcing her contender for the title, five-time LET winner Anne Van Dam, nod her head in disbelief which seemed more like a submission.
“It was the shot of the week for me,” recollects Aditi, who won the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open in Spain by two shots for her fifth win overall on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
The 25-year-old from Bengaluru, besides opening the year with a win at LET’s Magical Kenya Ladies Open, also picked up a silver at the Asian Games last month.
The two LET wins along with five top-10 finishes on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has taken the golfer to a career-high world ranking of 41.
Aditi tells DH about the season that she terms was her best so far and more.
Excerpts…
Take us through the win in Spain.
I was coming in after having played four events in five weeks and flew to Spain from the Tour Championships in Florida. With missed practice rounds and jet-lagged, I didn't go in with a lot of expectations. I played the Pro-Am and liked the course. Though I wasn’t playing my best golf, I began with 69 and 68. The third round of 68 had the potential to go lower. Heading into Sunday, I was a bit doubtful because I was wondering if I had thrown away a low round on the third and if the course would give me as many opportunities. That’s when I told myself to keep it simple, just to focus on hitting the green and go for the birdie putts and accept the result.
How would you assess this season?
In terms of achievement, at least on the LET, it was similar to my rookie year (2016) where I won twice. I finished second in the order of merit then and fourth this year. But I would say the bigger gains were on the LPGA because since my debut (2017) I have had only 5-6 top-10s but this year alone I had five top-10 finishes. I feel I put myself in contention to win this year more than ever before on both tours. Yeah, I won two but I gave myself a chance to win 3-4 more.
Why is LPGA a tougher cookie to crack than LET?
On the LPGA, the field comprises 150 of the world’s best golfers and you are not the only one having a good week. You have to play better than the 10-15 others who are having a good week. So then it becomes a matter of ‘is my great better than their great?’. If my great on a par-5 is a birdie, but someone else hits it farther and gets closer then they make an eagle. I think my good was good enough to win on the LET, but not good enough to win on the LPGA. But this year, with multiple top-10 finishes, I was right there getting close to it.
What has been the major difference in helping you make these gains?
Earlier, I was putting well, making up and downs (chip & putt) but I wasn't hitting it as far. So I had to really work on hitting the ball farther, especially for someone like me who has grown up hitting it straight. Change in this mindset, swinging as fast and doing speed training have helped. I think I hit a lot of drives during the off season a year ago. I picked up 10-20 yards which doesn't look like a big gain, but what it did to my game was huge. I was using a 7-iron instead of a hybrid, or a wedge instead of a 7-iron. That’s all I needed, some shorter shots so that I could hit it closer to the pin in regulation to have a chance at making birdies rather than saving pars.
The fickleness of golf came through, unfortunately, for you on the last day of the Asian Games. Could you explain that round?
I shot a couple of bad rounds this year and one of them happened to be on the final day of the Asiad. I know a lot of people felt maybe it was the situation or the moment but it was just a bad day. It was a tough blow to everyone wanting a gold, including me, after leading by seven shots going into the fourth day. Maybe that was a lesson that helped me figure out how to shoot a good final round in Spain to win.
Another big year ahead with the Paris Olympics in it. Your preparations for it?
In the two-and-a-half months of the off season, there will be a lot of speed training and gym work. My iron game needs some work because that will help me on the LPGA where I get a lot of mid and long iron shots because I'm not the biggest of hitters on the tour.
FACT FILE
Name: Aditi Ashok
Age: 25
World ranking: 41
LET in 2023:
Events played: 8
Wins: 2
Top-5 finishes: 4
Order of Merit: 4
LPGA in 2023:
Events played: 20
Top-10 finishes: 5
Asian Games: Silver