Aditi Ashok with her winning trophy in Kenya
India’s leading golfer, Aditi Ashok could not have started 2023 in better fashion, leading from start to finish in the Magical Kenya Open on the Ladies European Tour to win by a massive nine shot margin, ending her victory drought that stretched back to Abu Dhabi in November 2017.
.@aditigolf conquers the @KenyaLadiesOpen
What a sensational performance from the Indian star throughout the week in Vipingo Ridge, as she wins by NINE shots to claim a fourth LET win!
Congratulations Aditi, unbelievable from start to finish #RaiseOurGame | #MKLO2023 pic.twitter.com/P7ZyxVfcqY
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) February 5, 2023
Ashok, who has already spent 7 years as a pro, and will turn 25 next month, had arguably her worst year as a professional in 2022. She struggled to make cuts on the LPGA Tour and even when she did qualify to play on the weekend, she generally finished far down the field. As a result she almost lost her full-time playing privileges on tour. Her 99 th finish in the LPGA points list made her the second-last player to keep her LPGA playing privileges for 2023.
That’s why winning is so important. When it comes to building confidence in professional sports, nothing beats winning. An athlete can talk about the process and how she or he is making progress and working on this or that aspect of their game, but the ultimate evidence of that is a trophy. Winning is the goal each and every athlete strives for from the time they are kids.
.@aditigolf winning @KenyaLadiesOpen formula #RaiseOurGame | #MKLO2023 pic.twitter.com/u5bavK7G2R
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) February 6, 2023
Even the greatest need the reassurance that comes with winning. Jack Nicklaus failed to win on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career in 1979. Nicklaus was also 39 and it was natural to ask whether his winning days were over. So when Nicklaus won the U.S. Open in 1980, there were tears in his eyes when he accepted the trophy, and he told the cheering crowd he simply wanted to stand there and soak in the moment.
Of course, we are not comparing Ashok to Nicklaus, who is arguably the sport’s G.O.A.T. It is merely to highlight how important winning is for the psyche of a professional athlete. To paraphrase a cliché – “winning breeds winning”.
Her victory in her very first start of 2023 is the evidence Ashok needed that she is on the right track after 2022, something she acknowledged in her post-tournament comments. “It has been a great week, it’s proof to myself that my off-season and hard work has paid off, ” she said. “All of us have put in a lot of work over two months just to get back to my original strength level and this is the first week I’ve felt like I’ve been back to where I was a couple of years ago which is pretty good.”
.@aditigolf was on a different planet this week
A well-deserved fourth LET title #RaiseOurGame | #MKLO2023
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) February 5, 2023
Ashok has also worked on improving her swing speed for the first time in her career. She has always been an exceptional putter, but a lack of length, especially on the LPGA Tour, puts additional pressure on her. This was evident in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Ashok finished fourth. On one hand, it was a demonstration that she could compete with the best in the world. On the other hand, you could argue that Ashok had to play her best considering she was giving up 50 yards or more to the competition on every tee shot. That can be especially disheartening.
Lapping the field in Kenya therefore already makes her 2023 season a success. May it also provide the spark for her to succeed on the LPGA Tour as well. Watch this space for more on Aditi.
Credits:-
Photo – LET Flickr