Tokyo 2020: Golfer Aditi Ashok raises hope for a surprise medal

India, edging towards what could be their best ever performance at the Olympics, is in the hunt for a surprise medal from where they were not looking. Young woman golfer Aditi Ashok has produced two brilliant rounds to be in a three-way tie for second at the halfway mark of the four-day strokeplay event at the Kasumigaseki Country Club course.

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The 23-year-old shot a bogey-free five-under 66 on Thursday morning at Kawagoe to maintain stay in a tie for second place she her four-under 67 in the first round. Aditi, along with Denmark’s Nanna Madsen Koerstz and Kristine Emily Pedersen were all nine-under-par 133. American world No.1 Nelly Korda, daughter of former Australian Open tennis champion Petr, shot a sensational 62 to enjoy a four-shot lead at 13-under par.

Another solid round will keep the Bengaluru golfer in medal contention while a tropical storm forecast to hit on Saturday could lead to the event being cut to 54 holes. “We continue to track the tropical storm which is expected to affect our area beginning Saturday through Sunday,” the International Golf Federation said in a statement. “If we are unable to start or complete 72 holes, the Women’s Olympic Golf Competition will revert to a 54-hole event,” it said.

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Aditi, ranked 200 in the world, has proved a surprise in a field featuring the world’s best players. As a teenager, she was the youngest at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where golf made its debut. She finished 41st in five years ago.

The best woman player India has produced — she became the first Indian to win on the Ladies European Tour with two titles in 2016 — took up golf as a five-year-old, after she heard cheers from a nearby course while in a restaurant with her family.

The Kasumigseki course had no fans, with Games volunteers asked to cheer the players, and Aditi was as calm as the surroundings with consistently brilliant putting.

In the first round she was five-under until bogeying the final hole. On Thursday, Aditi’s green play was equally good, be it for birdies or saving pars with medium-range putts after an early start.

Diksha Dagar, India’s second entry, was six-over for the tournament to be tied 51st in the 60-player field. She carded one-over 72 after a 76 in the first round.

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