QUEEN’S ROAD: Bengaluru girl and IGU’s women’s amateur Order of Merit leader Aditi Ashok added one more feather to her cap when she made golfing history by becoming the first Indian to win the Ladies British Amateur Stroke Play Championship in England. Aditi had a four-day total of 11-under 285 (71,73,70,71) at the par 74 Moortown Golf Club in Leeds.
The 17-year-old Aditi, who had earlier won the St Rule Trophy at St. Andrews in July and finished second in the 2015 European Women’s Amateur Championship, also claimed the overall title, the Nicholls Trophy as well as the Dinwiddy Trophy given for the lowest score by an U-18 player. The student of Frank Anthony Public School, Aditi is 52nd in the World Amateur golf rankings. “I played consistently on all four days which was the key for me and though I could have scored better on many holes, I am pleased with a11-under finish,” the victorious Aditi said after her triumph.
Aditi is a three-time National junior champion from 2012 to 2014 and won the National amateur title in 2011 and 2014. She also has won many national junior and amateur titles right from the age of 10 when she took to golf at the Bangalore Golf Club under coach Bamby Randhawa.
Aditi is also the only Indian golfer to have played in the Asian Youth Games, Youth Olympic Games and Asian Games. She has made 11 cuts in the 12 professional events. She won the WGAI’s Ladies’ Professional Tournament when she was 13 years of age. Of course, her best performance prior to this achievement in a pro tournament was finishing tied 8th in the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2012 when she was only 14.
Aditi, after initial grooming by Bamby, moved to Tarun Sardesai before joining Steven Giuliano from Malaysia. Nicolas Cabaret from France has also taught her for some time. “I started learning to play golf when I was five and played my first round at the age of six and have been playing since with BangaloreGolf Club but I also practice at the Karnataka Golf Association often. I enjoy art, craft, skating, hula-hooping and watching movies during my free time,” says Aditi on her blog.
“I am the only Indian golfer (male or female) to have played the Asian Youth Games, Youth Olympic Games and Asian Games. Only Asian to win St Rule Trophy and Lawson Trophy at the St Andrews Links. A am a silver medalist and Runner-up at the 2015 International European Ladies Amateur Championship in Austria and a winner of two WGAI professional events,” said Aditi.
“Internationally I have won eight titles and have an impressive tally of top 10 finishes and I have been playing for Team India since the age of 12,” she added. At a time when golf in the country is improving by leaps and bounds, especially in Karnataka, Aditi’s exploits are bound to encourage more young girls to take to the greens.