India At Asian Games: Asian Games: Aditi Ashok inches closer to individual golf gold | Asian Games 2023 News

NEW DELHI: Indian golfer Aditi Ashok delivered a breathtaking performance with an extraordinary 11-under 61 in the third round, positioning herself in a commanding position to secure a historic individual gold medal in the golf competition at the Asian Games on Saturday.
Aditi’s remarkable round not only placed her seven shots clear of her closest rival but also propelled the Indian women’s golf team to the top spot, where they hold a slender one-shot lead over Thailand.It’s worth noting that Indian women have never won a medal at the Asian Games, with Aditi herself finishing 21st at the Incheon Games in 2014.
Asian Games Day 7
The 11-under scorecard was a testament to Aditi’s exceptional skill, outshining all competitors by a significant margin.
India’s other female golfers also displayed commendable performances. Pranavi Urs, with rounds of 71-68-70, stood at 7-under and occupied the 11th position, while Avani Prashanth, with scores of 72-69-74, was 1-under and tied for 19th place.

However, the day did not unfold as hoped for the Indian men’s team. Anirban Lahiri, who had required medical assistance due to extreme heat during the second round, struggled and posted a 2-over 74 score on a course that had been yielding low scores. Lahiri, at 10-under, was tied for 17th place.

SSP Chawrasia managed a 68 in the third round and found himself tied for 20th place, while Khalin Joshi, with a card of 69, was tied for 24th position. Shubhankar Sharma endured a challenging round, carding a 76 that saw him slip to tied 34th place.
Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, with a score of 70, led the men’s section at 24-under, followed by Taipei’s Chien-Yao Hung at 21-under and Korea’s Jang Yubin at 20-under in third place.
Unfortunately, the Indian men’s team was out of contention for a medal, finishing eighth with a total of 32-under, trailing a substantial 26 shots behind the leading Korean team, while Thailand and Hong Kong shared second place.
Aditi Ashok, who had previously secured fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics, now stands at 22-under with rounds of 67-66-61, leading by a considerable margin after 54 holes. Her closest rival, Arpichaya Yubol, is 15-under, while China’s Lin Xiyu is 14-under.
Aditi’s phenomenal performance also propelled India to a one-shot lead in the team competition. Her 11-under combined with Pranavi Urs’ 2-under 70 enabled the Indian women’s team to secure the lead at 29-under, surpassing strong teams from Thailand, China, Korea, and Japan.
Aditi’s exceptional consistency is evident, having dropped just one shot in 54 holes, which occurred in the second round. She began her third round with a birdie on the second hole and continued to add further birdies on the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth holes, finishing the front nine at 7-under 29. On the back nine, Aditi added another birdie on the 12th, followed by three more on the 15th, 17th, and 18th holes, concluding her round at a stunning 11-under.
Pranavi Urs contributed with three birdies against one bogey, while Avani Prashanth displayed two birdies and two bogeys in the first 17 holes, concluding her round with a double bogey on the 18th hole.
(With inputs from PTI)