Aditi Ashok knows she doesn’t have to play perfect golf to win and is hoping for a good week at the season-ending Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España presented by Oysho.
Last year, the Indian star produced rounds of 69-68-68-66 at Real Club de Golf Las Brisas to win her fifth Ladies European Tour (LET) title by two strokes over Anne Van Dam.
Reflecting on her victory, the 26-year-old didn’t remember a lot of the tournament but was reminded by a recent post on the LET social media channels.
Having played well throughout her career at the tournament, with three top-10 finishes as well as the victory, Ashok recalled how she stayed patient on the final day in 2023.
“Actually, I forgot quite a lot of what happened last year because when I saw the highlight reel and I saw my scorecard, I realized, I made so many birdies coming in,” she said.
“That final day was a bit of a test of patience for me because I felt like nothing was happening all day and then I finally dropped some putts and got the win.
“I always enjoy coming back to this tournament because even before I won, I played well here, I finished second once, I think top-five and top-ten a couple times. It was a good week.
“[On the 18th hole in 2023] It was an awkward bunker shot for me, it was a bit too long for my 60-degree wedge, so I had to hit it with a 54 and I knew it wouldn’t stop quick enough. It was a crazy idea to use the backstop, but then me and my dad thought it would work and if you hit it a little long, it will roll back, so that worked out perfectly.
“Still, I felt like until the last minute, I never felt like the job was done because Anne [Van Dam] obviously had the birdie putt and if she made it and I missed, it was still going to be a playoff. Until she missed and I had a three-footer to win, it didn’t actually feel like I had a chance to actually win.”
This year’s tournament is being played at a different venue with Real Club Guadalhorce Golf in Malaga hosting the event for the first time.
Thinking about how she played in 2023, Ashok is aware she doesn’t have to play perfectly but knows that she can improve round on round.
She explained: “I think the golf courses are different from each other, and different places too, so I don’t know how much the weather will be similar.
“Just seeing the way I played that week, I know that I’d have to play four good rounds and if I stay patient and I feel like last when I won, I’ve played a lot of good golf, but I even made a couple of mistakes.
“I dropped some shots and I made a double bogey in there last time, so I know that it doesn’t have to be perfect to win. I just need to play a lot more good golf than the mistakes, so that’s what I’ll focus on.”
Ashok splits her time throughout the year playing on the LET and the LPGA Tour, however in the latter part of the year she has taken time out and spent a longer period at home.
Having competed in a big summer which included the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the five-time LET winner felt she needed to spend time practicing at home.
However, having not played as much tournament golf, Ashok also knows it might take a little bit of time to get back into tournament mode this week.
She continued: “I think I was a little golfed out. I played a lot of weeks in a row this year and just felt like I needed a bit of a break, so, I just went home for five, six weeks and got enough practice in.
“I was excited for this week, but I just needed a few weeks off to just go to the gym and practice because I felt like I was playing and trying to do stuff on the golf course, but it wasn’t happening because I hadn’t practiced enough.
“That part is going to be a bit of a challenge. I haven’t played on the golf course as much back home, so just yesterday playing in the Pro-Am, I got a little bit of a feeler as to where my game is at.
“Sometimes I’m thinking of hitting certain shots, but because I haven’t hit them on the golf course, I’m not really I guess zoned into like alignment or those little things that get better as you play week after week. That adjustment will be a little bit tricky, but I still think if I play well, I’ll only get better as the days go by.”
Ashok will get her title defence underway on Thursday at 12.01 pm (local time) alongside Belgium’s Manon De Roey and England’s Bronte Law.
Follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #RaiseOurGame #OpenDeEspaña.
