Hard-charging Aditi Ashok takes second at Saudi Ladies Int’l

By Rahul Banerji

An unrelenting display of courage and skill gave Aditi Ashok second place behind world number one Lydia Ko at the $5 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International in Jeddah on Sunday.

The Indian star was relentless in her pursuit of top honours and pushed New Zealand’s Ko will the very last as she finished on a 20-under-par 268, just one shot shy of the winner’s 267.

A closing 68 to follow rounds of 65, 66 and 69 also helped Aditi cement top spot on the Ladies European Tour Race to Costa Del Sol rankings 1,210 points, comfortably ahead of second-placed Swede Maja Stark.

Aditi earned a solid 480 points at the Saudi event that had a mix of LET regulars and invitees from the LPGA in the field.

Former winner Ko also had a final round of 68 to go with her 64, 69 and 66 of the first three days and it needed the very best of the recently-married Kiwi to quell Aditi’s challenge.

Such was the scorching pace of scoring the overnight joint leader Lillia Vu of the US and American superstar Lexi Thompson too fell away at the end to finish in a tie for third place alongside Belgium’s Manon Del Roey who had the day’s best return of nine-under 63.

At one point on the back nine, Aditi briefly shared the lead with successive birdies on holes 15 and 16and Ko had to dig deep to eke out a final birdie on 17 to seal her second title at this tournament.

Close contest

Five contestants – Ko, Aditi, Vu, Thompson, and Del Roey – were all in with a chance going into the final nine holes, but it was the India-New Zealand faceoff at the end that had the watching fraternity enthralled.

Something has fundamentally changed in the Bangalore golfer’s game. After six years of grinding on the world’s most competitive tours she has found a new balance of experience and maturity that has kept Aditi’s game at a consistently high level.

After her heroics at the Tokyo Olympics, Aditi’s golf inexplicably fell away but she has started the 2023 season with focus and tireless determination. Sunday’s display was a good example as she kept coming at the opposition till the very last.

This resolve has seen Aditi start the 2023 LET season in blitzkrieg fashion, with a win in Kenya, third place in Morocco and now a runner-up placing at the Royal Greens.

On Saturday Aditi told the LET website after birdieing her closing two holes, “I like 18 (which she eagled out of the bunker on Friday)! I think it’s a great hole, probably the best hole on the golf course. Obviously, I have a lot of good memories from there.

“It’s always an advantage to hit it further. If you can hit it straight, it always gives you a little bit more control into the greens especially downwind like 18 is.

“The fact I’m hitting a 6-iron means I can still put spin on it and get it to stop pitching on the greens, so that’s an advantage.”

On Sunday, she followed the birdies on 15 and 16 with a brace of pars to set Ko, playing in the flight behind, a clubhouse target of 20 under that the Kiwi eventually managed to haul in.

But it was a very close run thing and the 24-year-old Indian will take plenty of confidence into her next outing, whether that is on the LPGA where she has limited playing rights, or the LET.

Also read: Aditi Ashok, tied for third, stays in contention at Saudi Ladies Int’l