Indian golfer Aditi Ashok loses bronze by a whisker at Tokyo Olympics

The 23-year-old finished at the fourth position on Saturday morning.

At about 10:01 AM IST on Saturday morning, Aditi Ashok was setting herself up for the most important shot of her life. She had had a mixed day thus far, but two momentarily lapses had seen her get bogeys in her 9th and 11th, replicating her performance from Round 3. However, this was Round 4 – the final round, and she needed a birdie.

She had a par on the 17th, with -15 in total. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko had replaced her in the top three in the last shot with a birdie. The Indian golfer needed one for herself to at least stake a claim for the podium.

Aditi Ashok found the fairway on the tee on the 18th, but the eagle looked far off. A birdie was still likely. Her head-to-head opponent for third place, Lydia, was still going strong for a par. She went a bit left on the green in the second shot, making it a relatively more difficult birdie to get. Finally, she could only manage a par. Until then, Lydia had confirmed her slot, Aditi was out of contention. She had finished 41st at Rio and she finished 4th at Tokyo.

It has been an inspiring display from Aditi Ashok at the Tokyo Olympics. Always nonchalant, she goes about her job with calm, composure and discipline. One shot at a time is her mantra and she’s completely invested in the game. The fact that her mother becomes her caddie at at times (happened at Tokyo Olympics as well) shows how her family is always out there to support her.

Aditi Ashok may not have reached the podium, but she gave a run to the World’s No. 1 golfer Nelly Korda a run for her money. She matched the American golfer almost stroke-for-stroke in the final round, and even bettered her score. Nelly finished Round 4 with a -2, Aditi finished it with a -3.

However, it was Lydia’s day, who ended it with -6 in Round 4. Nelly had a similar display in Round 2, that saw her score -9 and rocketed her to the top of the table. She never moved from there really after that. That level of golf deserves a medal in all righteousness.

The youngster from Bengaluru was inarguably the most consistent golfer at the Kasumigaseki Country Club over four days. With scores of -4, -5, -3, -3 over four rounds, Aditi Ashok deserved to be on the podium. She returns to the country a better golfer, and her performances in Tokyo will help her world rankings strongly.

Aditi Ashok is ranked 200th in the world, and she went head-to-head against the best in the world. In fact, in specific rounds, she even defeated some of them. She has now earned invaluable experience and certainly has Paris 2024 in sight.

Her compatriot, youngster Diksha Dagar, at a respectable 50. She had a -1 in the final round, and a total of +6 over the course of four days. Dagar hails from Haryana, is just 20, and has a long road ahead of her. Together, these two can become the poster girls of Indian golf. Or have they, already?

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