Aditi Ashok-Golfer from Bangalore, youngest woman golfer at Rio2016 ends heroic campaign-Profile of a future champion

Aditi Ashok ends heroic campaign in Women's Golf event

India's Aditi Ashok went through a horrendous third round of eight-over 79 to drop 23 places to be tied 31st in the women's golf event at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.

The 18-year-old, who scored two successive three-under 68 to be tied eighth till the 36 holes, played a poor back-nine where she was bogged down by five bogeys.


Now she has a three-day total of two-over 215. With Friday's performance, her hopes of getting a medal ended.

Aditi, the youngest woman golfer at Rio, got a bogey on the second hole before pulling things back with a birdie on the fifth.

But she carded a bogey on the seventh hole to complete the front-nine with a score of one-over 36.

In the back-nine, she made three consecutive birdes starting from the 11th before getting two more bogeys on the 18th to get a 79.India’s Aditi Ashok started her maiden Olympics campaign on a high, carding an impressive three-under 68 to finish tied seventh after the opening round. By the end of second round, the Bangalore teenager was tied eighth. The third round, however, didn’t go to the plan as she dropped 23 places to be tied 31st.

The young golfer, whose date with the sport started as a 5 ½ years old with a chance breakfast near Karnataka Golf Association, has shown enough spark to be considered a long-term prospect.

She is the only Indian golfer to have played the Asian Youth Games (2013) Youth Olympic Games (2014) and Asian Games (2014). Her maiden national win was at the age of 9 years and 10 months. She is a three-time National Junior Champion and two-time National Amateur Champion.

Here’s all you need to know about the youngest golfer in fray at the Rio Olympics:

Date of Birth: March 29, 1998

Place: Bangalore

Turned professional: January 1, 2016

Status: Ladies European Tour full member

Youngest in the field at Rio at 18 years

School: Frank Anthony Public School, Bangalore

Started learning golf at 5 and ½ years and played first round at 6 years 2 months. Her home club is Bangalore Golf Club, also practices at the Karnataka Golf Association

Hobbies: Reading, movies, music

Golf coach: Steven Giuliano

Strength and conditioning coach: Nicolas Cabaret

Current rankings

Official Women’s World Ranking (Rolex Ranking): 462

Ladies European Tour, Current Order of Merit Ranking: 59

Ladies European Tour, Rookie of the Year Ranking: 3

Earnings this season on LET: €14,224.77






Aditi Ashok of India reacts after a putt on the 18th green during the second round of women’s Olympic golf. (AP Photo)

Career highlights

# Only Indian golfer to have played the Asian Youth Games (2013) Youth Olympic Games (2014) and Asian Games (2014)

# Maiden national win was at the age of 9 years and 10 months

# Three-time national junior champion in 2012, 2013, 2014

# Two-time national amateur champion in 2011, 2014

# Played twice at World Amateur Team Championships, Junior Open and Faldo Series Asia Grand Final

# Played four times at Asia-Pacific Ladies Team Invitational Queen Sirikit Cup

# Played five times at the Asia Pacific Juniors and a few others for India from the age of 12



Aditi Ashok, hits to the green on the 18th hole during the second round of the women's golf event. (AP Photo)

Course records

# Equalled the women’s amateur course record of eight-under par on the New Course, St Andrews Links in May 2015

# Set a women’s course record of eight-under par at the Karnataka Golf Association, Bangalore in July 2015

# Equalled the men’s course record and set a women’s course record with her career’s lowest round of 10-under par on Samanah Country Club, Marrakech, Morocco in Dec 2015

# The youngest and first Indian to win Ladies European Tour’s Lalla Aicha Tour School 2016 with the lowest winning score of 23-under par at 17 years