Aditi Ashok did not come anywhere close to a medal as she did three years back in Tokyo, but the 26-year-old displayed her best game on the final day of the Olympic women’s golf competition, firing seven birdies to finish tied-29th here on Saturday.
Aditi, who had finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, shot a 4-under 68 in the 60-player field at the challenging Le Golf National.
With rounds of 72-71-7l9-68 over four days, Aditi tallied 2-over 290, which was a far cry from the 15-under she carded in Tokyo.
Diksha Dagar had another forgettable day after the 80 in the third round as she shot 78 to finish with a total of 13-over 301.
New Zealander Lydia Ko, who has 20 LPGA wins, produced a steady performance under pressure to claim the gold and complete her set of medals.
Ko, who at one point was five shots ahead of the field, claimed the gold medal with a 71. She had won a silver in Rio 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo in 2021, and capped it with a gold, which she sealed with a birdie on the 72nd hole.
Ko finished two shots ahead of Germany’s Esther Henseleit and three shots ahead of China’s Xiyu Lin, who won the silver and bronze, respectively.
With the victory, Ko became the first golfer in the modern era to win three medals in three Olympics.
The gold also gave Ko the final point she needed to enter the LPGA’s most exclusive club — the Hall of Fame.
Aditi, who opened her pro career with a win on the Ladies European Tour in her rookie year at the Women’s Indian Open at the age of 16, was candid about her performance, saying: “I think today was probably the best day for me. I feel like I was hitting approach shots and I was holing putts.
“Both were working, so I think that’s where the seven birdies came from. Also, the conditions were a little better today. Not as windy. So, it was easier to manage today than yesterday,” said Aditi.
On the week itself, the 26-year-old added, “I think, overall, the first couple of days the scores were okay but I feel like that double on the 18th (second round) kind of killed the momentum a little bit.
“And, of course, the third day, those 3-putts and the 7-plus (79) took me out of the competition. Overall, it was a decent week. Not great, not bad.”
Aditi felt she will get a few more shots at the Olympics, saying she will try to come back and get a medal in 2028 Los Angeles.
“Yeah, for sure (2028 LA). I think I just need to get to a point where all four days are not really struggling with any part of my game. I think sometimes in the season, you get those stretches where a few weeks, everything is working and you know those are the times you can make it happen,” said Aditi.
After three rounds here, Ko was tied for the lead with Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux at nine-under par. Rose Zhang and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita were tied for third at seven under.
But the drama unfolded early in the final round, with Metraux fading to a five-over through her opening five holes. Ko bogeyed her opening hole too, but bounced back with birdies on Nos. 3 and 7 to reach 10-under and take a two-shot lead. A birdie on the ninth gave Ko a four-shot cushion with nine holes to play.
It was similar to Jon Rahm’s situation last week in the men’s competition.
Ko’s lead extended to five shots after she parred the 11th, but a double-bogey on the 13th cut her lead to three shots ahead of a charging Henseleit.
Germany’s Henseleit, playing several groups ahead of Ko, birdied the 17th and 18th to climb to within one shot of Ko’s lead. Ko stayed steady, parring her way to the 18th tee to maintain her one-shot advantage.
Ko’s drive on the par-5 final hole found the middle of the fairway. She played conservatively, laying up with an iron to set up a short-iron approach, needing only a par to claim gold.
Ko hit her third shot to a birdie length and, amidst massive ovation, she drained the birdie to secure the gold by two shots.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)