Bengaluru: Aditi Ashok has played 31 Majors since turning professional in 2016. These many appearances at golf’s biggest tournaments is the most by an Indian (male or female). She is also the winner of five Ladies European Tour (LET) events. Again, most by an Indian.
The magnitude of the 26-year-old’s achievements on the sport’s elite Tours - the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and LET - are truly appreciated by the small golfing community in the country.
For the larger section of the masses - for whom golf remains a novelty - it was Aditi’s agonising fourth place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that popularised her and the sport she represents.
Fully aware of the magnitude of such occasion, Aditi looks to make the most of the opportunity at her third Olympics in a sport that was reintroduced to the Games in 2016 after a 100-year hiatus.
"The Olympics mean a lot to me. I have played some great golf in both Rio (2016) and Tokyo so I always look forward to the event. It’s also one of the few times people in India get to watch me play so that’s pretty cool too,” the Bengaluru girl told DH.
“I do think in a country like India, the Olympics does give golf more popularity. We don’t follow a lot of sports other than cricket, so yes I feel the masses watch the Olympic Games more closely these days and hence golf gets more popular.”
The 63rd-ranked golfer in the world has had an average 2024 season with two top-20 finishes - one of them (tied-17th) at The Amundi Evian Championship which was her best finish at a Major so far. But golf, like any other sport, is little about the past and more about one’s game on a given day.
So does Aditi fancy her chances when she tees off at the Le Golf National on Wednesday?
“I feel good about my game. I haven’t had a great week yet (this year) but I feel like my game is close and I can definitely contend if I put together four good rounds. I just have to stick to my game plan and process,” says the 2023 Asian Games silver-medallist.
Joining Aditi on the par-72 course across 6,374 yards is Diksha Dagar - a second-time Olympian who made her debut in Tokyo as a last-minute entrant after the withdrawal of South African Paula Reto due to Covid-19 protocols. The 23-year-old from Jhajjar, a two-time winner on the LET Tour, has also taken part in two summer Deaflympics winning gold in the 2021 edition.
The Indian duo are among a tough field of 60 golfers featuring World No. 1 and defending Olympic champ Nelly Korda of USA, Rio silver and Tokyo bronze medallist Lydia Ko of New Zealand and eight of the other top-10 players in the world among others.
Irrespective of the contenders, the Aditi and Diksha will hope to make an impact on a big stage.