Each time I saw the news about golf, it was only about men playing golf. Does anyone remember Aditi Ashok? Yes, we remember her so we would like this misogynist society to know her as well.
Born on 29 March 1998 in Bangalore, Aditi was a little girl of five when she started playing golf. Her motivation for playing golf was her father Pandit Gudlamani Ashok. She was only a young apprentice of nineteen. On the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), she was one of the last people to enter the 72-player field, but she is among the eight novices to make her way to the Tour championship.
While grabbing a late flight to the US on completion of the Hero Women’s Indian Open, Aditi Ashok said, “To have the opportunity to play the LPGA CME Tour Championship as a rookie feels great because the field is the best of the best.” Within a short span of twelve months, Aditi was already a winner of three women’s European tour titles.
Her winning in Abu Dhabi and a swipe over a top 15 finish was a boost to her confidence. Given to her good upbringing she always appreciated each course that prepared her for any event as she made a statement post the completion of T-13 trying to defend the Hero India Open Title: “The course is in great shape even though Hurricane Irma hit it pretty bad. The greens are fast and true which I like. The key would be to keep hitting fairways and greens”.
During the championship held in NCR Delhi, Aditi Ashok lead the forefront among the selected list of candidates for the Hero Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf Club. She had the grit in her when she palliated the title in a bracket of 114 players from 25 countries from all continents.
Despite the heavy smog which prevailed in Delhi, all the women golfers including Aditi Ashok focused on the game with masks along with Carlota Ciganda. Beth Allen, World no 130 from the USA said: “I think it’s phenomenal what Aditi has done for this country. There have always been great players from here, like Simi Mehra […], but it’s really impressive what Aditi has done and I think she’s an inspiration”.
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During her T-5Th Dubai Classic, Aditi rounded off with a tied-5th finish at the Omega Dubai Latest Classic. She was five–under through 17 and summed up with a double bogey which lifted her from 14–under to 12–under. Aditi Ashok is also a winner of the Qatar Ladies tournament.
She has tremendous mental fortitude in her. Given to the fact we are obsessed with cricket, not much is known about her coaching and about her mentoring but looks like she is a self-made woman and she really did not take any help to pave her way to success. All she did was to practice and improve with each passing day.
Sports Ministry in India needs to improve basic infrastructure if they really want medals from women in sports.
Aditi Ashok maintains a low profile. Her dedication and mental stamina speak on her behalf. In her home page, she has written just a few words for herself which I believe only a few people have read. So before you need a reminder of who she is and what she is now, here it is:
Olympian, Professional Golfer on Ladies European Tour and LPGA
Turned Professional on 1st January 2016
Ranked 99th in the world (as on 6th February 2017)
Full Member of Ladies European Tour and partial status on LPGA2016
Rookie of the Year on Ladies European Tour
Finished 2nd on the Order of Merit on Ladies European Tour
7 Top 10s including 2 wins (Hero Women’s Indian Open, Qatar Ladies Open)
While the whole world speaks of men playing golf, let us women prove how wrong they all are. We have with us a woman golfer who a true inspiration for young talents. The Sports Ministry in India needs to improve basic infrastructure if they really want medals from women in sports.
They are denied basic training amenities and this ministry should be ashamed of doing nothing but simply running with flowers each time a woman brings a medal. They need no flowers or garlands, all they need is better coaches and better facilities to train themselves.
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Featured Image Credit: The Indian Express
