Who Is Aditi Ashok? India's Top Golfer Ties 22nd At US Championship

Aditi Ashok, India's ace golfer finished at an even-par 72 in the first round of the Professional Golfers' Association of America Championship 2024 on June 21, placing 22nd, four shots off the pace. The 26-year-old rebounded from a rocky start-- front nine of 3-over-- at the $10.4 million event at the par-72, 6,754-yard Sahalee Country Club course in Sammamish, Washington. American golfer Lexi Thompson took a one-shot lead over Olympian Nelly Korda and Thai golfer Patty Tavatanakit. Ashok, playing a few groups ahead of Thompson, hit her straps on the back nine with two consecutive birdies.

“I didn’t play well on the first nine holes,” Ashok told Press Trust of India. “It was good to bounce back with four birdies on the back nine.” Ashok is the first Indian golfer to book an Olympic spot. She has represented India at the Olympics, competing in the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. 

Who Is Aditi Ashok?

Bengaluru resident Ashok is one of the world's top 50 women golfers. Ashok was drawn to golf when she was only five years old after she spotted the golf course at the Karnataka Golf Association. While juggling her academics at Bengaluru's prestigious Frank Anthony Public School and her love of the sport, the Indian golfer began routinely practising at the course and competing in local events.

Aditi Ashok is the first Indian female golfer to break into the top 50 after finishing T5 in the LPGA Founders Cup. In 2023, she also competed in her record 25th major at the US Open, finishing tied for 33rd place at the tournament, which was heavily dominated by Allisen Corpuz. With her win, Corpuz is now the first American in two decades to bag this feat. 

Aditi Ashok won her first state-level titles as a 13-year-old, the Karnataka Junior and South Indian Junior titles. That same year, she won the national amateur title too. Ashok competed in the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, in 2014, finishing fourth in the solo event and taking silver in the mixed team event.

She also represented India at the 2014 Espirito Santo Trophy, a biannual amateur women's team golf competition in Japan. Eventually, her hard work and her perseverance earned her a scholarship at the IMG Academy in Florida in 2012. She stayed at the academy for a year, where she got top-tier instruction and had access to world-class facilities.

Ashok's stay at the IMG Academy aided in the development of her talents and prepared her for the rigours of competing at the top level of the sport. Aditi Ashok tied for 41st in Rio and tied for 4th in Tokyo, just missing out on a medal. Ashok has generally had a successful professional career, solidifying her place as one of the best golfers from India and a rising star in the world of golf.