Women’s Day 2023 Aditi Ashok: Wish to lead the world rankings someday

In India, golf has hardly received the masses’ attention. But in 2020, when Aditi Ashok finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, it compelled everyone to sit up and take notice of who is this new kid on the block!

Currently topping the Ladies European Tour Official rankings (Race to Costa del Sol Ranking), the 24-year-old golfer has set a commendable record by becoming the first Indian woman golfer to top the official rankings. “This year, I am leading the official tour ranking. It’s a good start for me, but hopefully I keep that momentum till the end of the year. Though my goal is always to play well at bigger events, I sought to lead the world’s women’s ranking someday. I feel it’s doable as I am currently in the top 100. Though there’s still a long way to go,” says the Arjuna Award winner.

“All my efforts are for that moment (#1 on world rankings), and when I reach there, I surely wish to be ready for it,” says Ashok, who is putting in her best efforts to excel in the sport. She was the youngest Indian woman golfer at Rio Olympics (2016), and kept her mind focused on hitting the ball and kept her head straight while feeling responsible towards her juniors. “Generally, when players come from countries where they are the only ones, they do have an added sense of responsibility, especially now that game is at the Olympics. I hope the performances I’ve had so far and the ones I have in the future can motivate more kids to take up the sport,” says Ashok, adding, “We’ve always had men golfers playing at higher levels whether it is PGA or European Tour. But on the women’s side, there hasn’t been much. I only hope that more young girls look at golf as not only a sport but as a career too.”

The representation of female golfers in India has also changed over the years, as this young gun feels. “The representation of women in golf is better now as compared to when I started off in the game. When I played Rio Olympics at the age of 18, nobody even thought that women’s golf can be a discipline where we could have a medal chance, and that’s what was challenged me in Tokyo when I finished fourth!”

Teeing off to new heights, she sought her inspiration in her aim to draw due recognition for Indian women golfers in the professional arena. “There are definitely more girls playing the sport now. I see more players from India on the European Tour, and even more players who are on the quest to play internationally,” adds Ashok.

The force to prove that nothing is impossible runs in her family as this golfer recalls the time when her mother joined her as her caddy during Tokyo Olympics. “All through my junior career, my mom travelled with me. She used to plan my whole schedule. Even when I wanted to be a part of Olympics, it was my mother who took a lot of effort to figure out the ranking system and helped to get invites for my professional events because for that I needed to play big amateur events. All of that was handled by my mom only,” says Ashok, proudly stating: “My mom made it to the Rio Olympics and not me!”

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