Aditi Ashok having an interaction with a junior fan at the tournament
25 year old Bangalorean Aditi Ashok, who is enjoying her all time best year recorded her 3rd top 5 finish in her last four starts on the highly competitive LPGA tour as she shot 67-72-68-74 (7-under 281) to finish tied-4th at the US$ 2.75mn Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey City, New Jersey. Aditi was in 2nd place starting the final round at 9 under par but 6 bogeys in her final round of 2 over par 74, spoiled her chances of a first win on the LPGA Tour.
Aditi picked up a cheque of US$ 118,217 and moved up to 19th on the LPGA’s Money List, her best position ever, with total earnings just shy of half a million dollars. Combine that with the half million euros she earned in 4 weeks on the European tour at the start of the year, where she continues to be ranked #1, and Aditi’s earnings have already crossed US$1 million for 2023 for the first time in her 8th year as a professional !!!
In April, Aditi had a tough loss on the first extra hole of a playoff at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, California. However, just two weeks later, she bounced back with an impressive tied-5th finish at the Cognizant Founders Cup in New Jersey.
Aditi will be playing on the 3 member Guangzhou bound Asian Games ladies team for India this September along with other Bangaloreans 16 year old amateur Avani Prashanth and 19 year old Pranavi Urs and in this form Aditi will be a legitimate gold medal contender.
RELATED: Aditi loses in playoff on LPGA Tour
The Mizuho Americas Open 2023 will be remembered for the impressive professional debut of American Rose Zhang who held the World No 1 Amateur position for the previous 141 weeks, a record. In her very first week as a professional, Zhang scored an impressive victory, which has made the media speculate on whether she could be a Tiger Woods like player in the making. Zhang’s stellar track record of titles includes the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 2022 & 2023 NCAA Division 1 individual champion titles and the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur title.
Zhang, who had just completed her 2nd year playing for Stanford University, showcased her considerably mature skills by shooting 70-69-66-74, matching Jennifer Kupcho’s score of 71-70-69-69 at 9-under 279. The thrilling playoff that ensued was decided over two extra holes, where Zhang emerged victorious with two pars. Her performance in this tournament mirrored the impactful debut of Tiger Woods, another notable former Stanford alumni.
In her pro debut, Rose Zhang BECOMES A CHAMPION @MizuhoLPGA @LPGA pic.twitter.com/8AEVlVtMQf
— Hope (@HopeBarnett_) June 5, 2023
Video credit – Hope Barnett LPGA
Last 12 stroke play results for Rose Zhang:
W
T-12
W
W
W
W
W (ANWA)
5th
W
W
W (NCAAs)
W (LPGA Tour)— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 5, 2023
With her extraordinary achievements, including surpassing every other college level record in history, the 20-year-old won 12 out of 20 college tournaments, outshining Tiger Woods’ college record by one victory.
Here at India Golf Weekly, we are thrilled to embark on Rose Zhang’s journey and will be sharing her exploits over the months and years ahead.
Credits:-
Photo – Aditi Ashok