Golfing lessons from Annika came handy: Aditi Ashok

If golfer Anirban Lahiri stole the show with his stellar performance in 2015, teenage Aditi Ashok too made her mark taking rapid strides in the women’s circuit. Aditi’s recent form, in which she gave the top players a run for their money, underlined her growing prowess.

Title wins at the St Rule Trophy (Scotland), the Ladies British Strokeplay (Leeds), the Thailand Amateur (Bangkok), a silver at the International European Ladies Amateur (Austria), all came in 2015 before Aditi capped off the year with a historic win at the Ladies European Tour Q-School in Marrakech, Morocco.

Talking to this paper, Aditi said, “Each year, I have got better with my performance. I have been able to hit the ball longer than a 12-year kid when I started playing at the Queen Sirikit Cup. I have been much more consistent, my fitness and mental strength have also improved.

“All these performances give me a lot of confidence going into the new season. Whatever success I have achieved is because of my parents, golf coach Steven Giuliano and fitness coach Nicolas Cabaret.”

Aditi is just 17 but she is clear about her goals. After a spectacular 2015, the world no. 11 amateur has set her eyes on a medal at the Rio Olympics, where the top-60 golfers will make the cut. “The Olympics is on my mind since the last two years and we are now just six-seven months away. So, I am going to play in as many events as I can. I will try and play each one well and get some wins. Qualifying for the Rio Games and contending for a medal there is one of my primary goals,” said the Bengaluru-based golfer.

Recalling her success in Morocco, she said, “I played really well throughout. Going into the tournament, my target was to play consistent to get the card. All the five days were tough as there were so many good players and we had to play on two different courses, but I did really well on the last two days when I shot a 10-under.

“Winning the title was overwhelming because getting the card is the best way going into the tour. That gave me a lot of confidence.”

Inspired by golfing icon Rory McIlroy and Annika Sörenstam (former world no. 1 in women’s golf), Aditi said she would want to adopt McIlroy’s “aggressive style” in her game.

“I was lucky to witness Rory playing and winning the Open last year. I was there for the junior Open Championships. Even if Rory is leading or a few shots behind, he never gets defensive. He is always aggressive and this is something I would like to have in my game too,” she said.

Visiting Florida for an invitational meet in February 2015 was another important step in Aditi’s career. Not only did she get a chance to compete against the world’s best amateurs but to personally meet Annika.

“I got to talk to her personally about many things like what is important while playing week and week out, what are the key things to think and what are the tough things you have to deal with as a golfer. The conversation had helped me how to think positively on the course,” Aditi added.