Tokyo Olympics 2020: Aditi Ashok is off to a good start in women’s golf.

Aditi Ashok, an Indian golfer, got off to a flying start in the Tokyo Olympics Golf tournament on Wednesday, shooting a four-under 67 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Aditi Ashok, who first attracted the attention of the golfing world at the Rio Olympics five years ago, tied for second place with World No. 1 Nelly Korda.

Madalene Sagstrom of Sweden, who shot 66, was one shot ahead of her.

If it hadn’t been for a bogey on the 18th hole, Aditi would have been in a tie for first.

Aditi scored five birdies to one bogey on the last hole, while Sagstrom shot a bogey-free five-under 66.

She was ranked considerably ahead of some of the game’s biggest names, including defending champion Inbee Park (69)

India’s other entrant in the field, Diksha Dagar (76) had a rough start in her maiden Olympics as she had five bogeys and no birdies to lie at the tied 56th spot.

Source: The Bridge

– Mum’s the caddie –

“Last time, I didn’t finish as well as I hoped, but witnessing the impact it had on golf in India was amazing, and that’s kind of what drove me for this one as well.”

Ashok remembered how she began playing golf, which was not a popular pastime for females her age in Bangalore.

“My dad and I both started playing golf at the same time,” Ashok remembered.

“We used to eat breakfast at a restaurant with a view of a golf driving range, so we decided to pay it a visit. So that’s how it all began for me.”

In Rio, Ashok’s father was her caddy, and this time it’s her mother, Mash.

“Last time I had my dad on the bag, so the experience was just so incredible I was like ‘I want to have my mum next time’ and I made good on that promise,” said Ashok.

Her first two rounds in the Rio Olympics had a “pretty huge” impact, she confessed.

“My social media following just blew up, basically. I think I had like 400-500 followers Twitter and Facebook and jumped to like 14,000, I think overnight.”

So, if she wins a medal this time, what do you think will happen?

“In India, women’s golf isn’t really on the radar of sports or people,” she explained. “The ramifications would be enormous.”

“I believe it’d be in the hundreds of thousands,” Ashok said. “Yes, that would be enormous.”

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