Golfer Aditi Ashok slips on final day, finishes fourth at Tokyo 2020
Aditi Ashok was second overnight, three strokes adrift the leader. The Indian golfer finished two shots behind Nelly Korda, who won the Olympic gold medal.
India’s Aditi Ashok was in contention for a medal finish until the 17th hole but dropped down to eventually finish fourth in the Tokyo Olympics women’s golf tournament at the Kasumigaseki Country Club on Friday.
Aditi Ashok carded 3-under 68 in the final round and had a combined score of 15-under, just one shot off playing for the medal places. It is the best finish of any Indian golfer at the Olympics.
Two-time Olympian Aditi Ashok finished 41st at Rio 2016.
Fellow Indian golfer and Olympic debutant Diksha Dagar finished tied-50th in the 60-member field with a combined 6-over. She carded 1-under in the final round with four birdies and three bogeys.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the USA won the Olympic gold medal with 17-under.
Japan’s Mone Inami won the silver medal and Lydia Ko of New Zealand won the bronze. The two positions were decided after a playoff after they both finished regulation play with a score of 16-under.
This was Lydia Ko’s second Olympic medal - she had won silver at Rio 2016.
Starting the day in second place, Aditi Ashok began with pars on the first four holes and dropped to third with 12-under. Lydia Ko hit four birdies on the first five holes to move to second with 14-under.
The Indian golfer then got her first birdie of the day on the par-5 fifth, sinking a 15-foot putt and another birdie on the sixth brought her back to tied-second with Lydia Ko at 14-under. The duo were two shots behind Nelly Korda then.
On the seventh hole, Aditi Ashok and Lydia Ko made par but Nelly Korda’s double-bogey made it a three-way tie for the lead, at 14-under.
The trio then made birdies on the eighth to be tied for the lead at 15-under.
A bogey on the ninth put the Indian golfer back to tied-third with Denmark’s Emily Pedersen at 14-under.
A wayward approach shot on the 11th meant that Aditi Ashok only shot bogey, with similar scores from other golfers putting her at tied-second along with Lydia Ko, Emily Pedersen and Mone Inami.
The Indian golfer then made par on 12th and shot birdie on the 13th - her first since the eighth hole - and stayed tied-second with Lydia Ko and Mone Inami. Nelly Korda, with 17-under, led by three shots.
Despite her approach shot catching the bunker, Aditi Ashok made birdie on the par-5 14th to maintain her place on the leaderboard. She dropped to fourth place after par on the 15th.
The Indian golfer climbed back to tied-third at 15-under with Lydia Ko after the latter bogeyed the 16th hole.
The lead group of Aditi Ashok, Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda had teed off on the 17th hole when play was suspended for around 45 minutes due to rain.
Aditi Ashok narrowly missed birdie on the 17th when play resumed - with the ball catching the edge of the hole before going past. The Indian golfer made par to go to fourth with 15-under.
Aditi Ashok reached the 18th green in two shots - leaving herself with an up-and-down 25-foot putt to shoot birdie and move into the medal places.
However, her birdie putt went narrowly wide, and she finished with a par to take fourth place.