The 1998 US Women’s Open Golf Championship is perhaps responsible for the tectonic shift that is still happening in the sport. It’s an oft-repeated story. Se Ri Pak won the playoff to win the tournament over USA’s Jenny Chuasiriporn to herald a new dawn for the sport in South Korea. Girls started looking to a new sport to bring alive their dreams. The result of the improbable win is still being felt — passports of 40 of the top 100 women’s golfers say, “Republic of Korea.”
That, many people hope, is what Aditi Ashok will do to Indian women’s golf. She has enjoyed unparalleled attention since breaking through to enter the big time. On January 31, she added another feather to an increasingly loaded cap. She cracked the top 100, becoming the first Indian woman to do so since Simi Mehra in 1997. That only tells half the story. She was ranked 468 one year ago. After a highly successful first season as a professional, the 18-year-old has to guard against the sophomore slump.
Simi, the original pin-up girl for women’s golf in India, calls her performances ‘phenomenal’, but wants more. Much more. “She has a long way to go,” the 44-year-old tells Express. “There’s only place she has to aim and that’s No 1.”
There’s genuine belief that she can do to the sport what Li Na did to women’s tennis in China — inspire the next generation. Simi says Aditi has already started that. “I think she has already inspired kids. The point is there are a lot of 15-year-olds already who want to become the next Aditi.”
Her work, though, is just getting started. There are 148 Indian men who have a world ranking next to their name. Women? Six. Simi has a theory for the disparity between the two genders.
“When I started the Women’s Golf Association of India (in 2007), there were less than 10 girls at the amateur level. That means the parents are obviously pushing the boys more than the girls. The thought process is ladki ki shaadi karo, ladke ke padhao (get daughter married, send son to school).”
There’s obviously been a shift in the last 5-6 years. More than 1000 girls partake at the amateur level on an annual basis. That number will grow if Aditi continues the upward curve she is on.
swaroop@newindianexpress.com