Enrique Martinez Luque
The 2023 Ladies European Tour (LET) season started in Kenya, and Aditi Ashok gave the first blast. With an accumulated score of 280 (-12), Ashok stood out widely above the rest of the competitors and won the Magical Kenya Ladies Golf Open.
This is the fourth title for the 24-year-old, one of the best golfers in India, and LET Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Vipingo Ridge, an extraordinary holiday and lifestyle destination on Kenya’s coast, witnessed Ashok’s steady pace throughout the week as she led Alice Hewson of England and April Angurasaranee of Thailand by 9 shots, who both finished with 289 (-3).
Ashok started the final round with a six-shot difference. However, despite finishing on par in the final round (she made 74), she ended up extending to 9 the distance with the runner-ups.
“It has been a great week; it’s proof to myself that my off-season and hard work has paid off,” Ashok said.
The Kenya Ladies Open was the fourth title for Aditi Ashok at the Ladies European Tour. She had not won since the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open 2017, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
“It’s definitely different and part of the experience of playing in Kenya. It was cool to see giraffes – I don’t think I’ve ever seen them that close before”, said the Hindu.
Ashok was the revelation of the LET in 2016 when she turned professional. That year, she also represented India at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It is worth noting that she finished fourth at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games two years ago. Good enough.
The winner recognized the importance of her family. “It was good to have my dad on the bag – three of my wins have been with him caddying, but not just him. There’s my mum back home, and I have worked a lot with my coach and my fitness team,” Aditi explained.
The Magical Kenya Ladies Open kicked off a season that includes 31 tournaments. The next stop will be the Lalla Meryem Cup, held from February 9 to 11 at the Blue Course of the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Morocco.
