Asian Games 2023: Aditi Ashok nears historic Gold as Indian women's Golf team takes significant lead

At the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, Aditi Ashok's extraordinary third-round performance, a sensational 11-under 61, has positioned her for a historic individual gold medal in golf.

At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Aditi Ashok surged towards a historic individual gold medal in golf, delivering a sensational third-round performance with an impressive 11-under 61. Her remarkable performance not only placed her in a commanding lead, with a seven-shot advantage over her closest competitor, but also propelled the Indian women's golf team to the top position, securing a one-shot lead over Thailand. The Indian women's golf team has never claimed a medal at the Asian Games, making this achievement all the more significant. Aditi's 11-under scorecard was an outstanding five shots better than the next best round of the day.

On the other hand, it was a challenging day for the Indian men's team. Anirban Lahiri, who had struggled with extreme heat and required medical assistance in the second round, faced difficulties and posted a 2-over 74 score on a course that had been yielding low scores. Lahiri was tied-17th at 10-under. Meanwhile, SSP Chawrasia and Khalin Joshi were tied-20th and tied-24th, respectively, with Shubhankar Sharma dropping to tied-34th after a round of 76.

Hong Kong's Taichi Kho 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.

Unfortunately, the Indian men's team is no longer in contention for a medal, finishing eighth with a total of 32-under, a significant 26 shots behind the leaders, Korea. Thailand and Hong Kong share the second place.

Aditi Ashok, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, now boasts a 22-under total after 54 holes, with rounds of 67-66-61. Her closest competitor, Arpichaya Yubol, is 15-under, while China's Lin Xiyu is 14-under.

Aditi's spectacular third round not only places her in the lead for the individual gold but also gives India a one-shot advantage in the team competition. Together with Pranavi Urs' 2-under 70, the Indian women's team has constructed a commanding lead of 29-under, surpassing strong teams from Thailand, China, Korea, and Japan.

Throughout the tournament, Aditi has dropped just one shot, and that occurred during the second round. Her third round commenced with a birdie on the second hole, followed by further birdies on the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth, propelling her to 5-under. She then secured her second eagle of the week on the short par-4 ninth, making the turn at an astonishing 7-under 29. On the back nine, she continued her impressive performance with birdies on the 12th, 15th, 17th, and 18th holes, ultimately finishing 11-under.

Pranavi Urs had three birdies and one bogey, while Avani Prashanth recorded two birdies and two bogeys in the first 17 holes, concluding with a double bogey on the 18th in her round of 74.