Asian Games 2023: Aditi Ashok bags silver for India in golf

India made history after Aditi Ashok bagged the first medal in the women’s individual golf at Asian Games 2023 here on Sunday.

Aditi claimed silver by carding 17-under 271 (67-66-61-77) in four rounds at the West Lake International Golf

Course. She will savour this achievement, especially after missing out on a podium spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics two years back.

The gold medal was claimed by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who carded 19-under 269 (67-65-69-68). The Republic of Korea’s Hyunjo Yoo won the bronze with 16-under 272 (68-73-66-65).

Aditi was brilliant in the first three rounds and after a sensational 11-under on Saturday, the Indian golfer went into the final round with a healthy seven-shot lead at the top of the leaderboard.

The 25-year-old Aditi, however, endured a disappointing day on the greens and squandered her lead to Yubolk after a double bogey on the 16th hole, where she hit one in the water.

While Aditi carded just a single bogey in her first three rounds combined, she endured three and four bogeys and a double in the fourth round alone.

India’s Pranavi Urs finished 13th in the women’s golf tournament with four-under 284 while Avani Prashanth was T18th with three-over 291.

The trio’s combined score of 22-under 554 placed India fourth in the women’s team golf event at Hangzhou 2023 behind Thailand, the Republic of Korea and China.

The Indian men’s golfers, meanwhile, had a disappointing outing in Hangzhou.

Olympian Anirban Lahiri (14-under 274) finished T12th and was the best-ranked Indian in the men’s individual event. Hitesh Khalin Joshi (seven-under 281) came in at T27 followed by veteran SSP Chawrasia (six-under 282) at 29th.

Subhankar Sharma (two-under 286) was 32nd.

In the men’s team event, India finished seventh with a total of 830.