It wasn’t just the home favourites feeling the love of local support on Friday at the AIG Women’s Open with India’s Aditi Ashok also receiving plenty of fanfare en route to a superb 69 (-3) at Walton Heath.
Having opened with a 72 (level par) in round one – a card which featured two bogeys in her first two holes – Ashok ignited the form which has made her a star on both the Ladies European Tour (LET) and LPGA alike in 2023, posting five birdies to the delight of the Indian fans in attendance to move into the top-10.
“Especially in the UK, there’s a lot of Indians,” Ashok explained post-round. “So a lot of Indian kids were walking here and there [today]. That’s pretty cool for me to see. And, yeah, it’s nice to have some support out there.
“My mum has been [out here] having a good week too. And my dad usually caddies, but he fell sick last week so he’s not been feeling too good. So he’s just spectating. It’s great to have them at the bigger events and watch me play. And I’m playing good, so that’s a bonus.”
Ashok is currently third in the Race to Costa del Sol rankings with one win to her name at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open.
Over in stateside, the 25-year-old is also having a memorable season sitting 27th in the Race to CME Globe thanks to five top-10 finishes.
With her best AIG Women’s Open result coming five years ago – a T22 finish at Royal Lytham and St Annes, Ashok is now feeling good about her game as she attempts to chase down leader Ally Ewing who sits on 10-under par through two rounds.
She continued: “I feel like being in a good position after the first round or second round is important for me. And I haven’t done that much in the majors, so I’ve done it here this week, so hopefully I can build on that.
“I feel like I’ve been playing good, haven’t really dropped many shots. I’m just focusing on hitting fairways and greens. I think that’s the key on this course, especially hitting fairways. So that’s been working. I’m trying to keep doing that for the weekend and, yeah, hopefully hit them closer and get more birdie putts.”
After a solid second day, Ashok gets her third round underway at 13:55 playing alongside Australia’s Minjee Lee. Follow all the action on @LETGolf on Instagram and Twitter and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube – #RaiseOurGame #AIGWO.
