By Rahul Banerji
Aditi Ashok blitzed the Crown Colony course in Fort Myers with a career-best 9-under par round of 63 that included just 23 putts on the final day of the LPGA event in Florida.
“I was putting really good,” Aditi was quoted as saying after her birdie blitz. “I made almost everything. Every chance I got, I made the putt, which was great.”
India’s Tokyo Olympic star made the cut on the line on Friday but came roaring back on Saturday to record her second top 15 finish in a row.
Leona Magiure of Ireland became the first from her country to win an LPGA title ahead of 11-time titleist Lexi Thompson of the USA.
Last week at the Gainbridge LPGA in nearby Boca Raton, Aditi raked in a shared 13th place finish to which she added a T15 on Saturday.
“I wasn’t hitting it as good as I wanted to,” Aditi said on the LPGA website later.
“I feel like I was not in control most of the time, so I was holing like 10-, 20-footers. Still, the putting worked, so it was a good day.”
Long drops
Her 23 putts on Saturday included two 25-footers and a 30-foot dunk on her penultimate hole.
“That’s not usual for me,” she said. “Those you’re just trying to make a two-putt.
“I still missed three putts which were 10 to 15 feet. When I think about that, if I just look at my percentage, 10 to 15 feet, I guess it’s obviously great, but I still missed three of them.
“I’m greedy, so I feel like I should have made those three. But it was still a good putting day for me.
“I feel like the last few years, every time I’ve had a hot start, I haven’t really kept it going. I’ve kind of tried to guard the score.
“So, I was just telling myself to not think about the score and just birdie every hole I can. I was trying to birdie every hole. I think the aggressive mindset is what did it for me.
“Obviously, I know I have it in me. I finished 10-under over three days.
“Nine of those birdies were on one day, so I know I have the good scores in me. It’s just about putting three or four good rounds together.
“I’m playing with the best girls in the world so it’s hard every week. If I can do my best, I think it’s good enough out here,” she said on the website.
Varner prevails over Watson
Meanwhile, in Jeddah, Harold Varner III of the US eagled his final hole with a 92-foot putt to win the Asian Tour’s season-opening $5 million Saudi International on Sunday.
PGA Tour star Bubba Watson held the clubhouse lead with a 12-under total but his fellow American holed the massive putt to walk away with the $1 million winner’s cheque.
Both eagled the par-5 18th hole at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club but overnight leader Varner’s 69 gave him a one-shot edge despite Watson’s closing 64.
Varner overcame a double-bogey and bogey but recovered with a birdie on 17 before the flying finish. It was his second professional win after a 2016 title at the Australian PGA Championship.
Defending champion Dustin Johnson tied for eighth place in the strongest field in the history of the Asian Tour and one of its most lucrative purses.
Shubhankar Sharma shot a 2-over 282 for shared 51st place, Viraj Madappa and Rashid Khan were tied for 55th place on 4-over 2784s and Shiv Kapur was T68 with a 288.
The Asian Tour’s next stop is the Royal’s Cup in Thailand from March 3 to 6.
Also read: Aditi Ashok hits solid Sunday round at Gainbridge for top-15 finish
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