Nairobi, Feb 2 (PTI) Indian golfer Aditi Ashok, a three-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, started her 2023 campaign in style as she took day one lead at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open on Thursday.
Aditi, the first Indian to win on the LET at the 2016 Hero Women’s Indian Open, was 6-under on the first day at the Par-73 Vipingo Range in the opening event of the 2023 Ladies European Tour season.
Aditi was four shots clear of seven players, including Thai April Angurasaranee who bogeyed the last hole to fall to 2-under.
The six players at 2-under and tied for third place were Spaniards Ana Pelaez Trivino and Marta Sanz Barrio, Virginia Elena Carta of Italy, Scotland’s Kyle Henry, Swede Isabella Deilert and England’s Alice Hewson.
Among the other Indians, Amandeep Drall was 1-over 74 for a tied 17th. Amateur Avani Prashanth (75) was T-25, Diksha Dagar (78) was T-50, Vani Kapoor and Seher Atwal were T-77 with 81 each.
With conditions becoming tougher as the day wore on, players started dropping shots. However, Aditi did very well to get pars in her last five holes and finish with a superb 6-under 67.
Aditi, whose successes include a win at the St. Rules Trophy at St Andrews, the Home of Golf, started on the first and found her first birdie on the second hole, but she gave it back on the next hole.
She then hit a fine patch with birdies on fifth and sixth and landed an eagle on Par-5 seventh and added yet another birdie on ninth to turn in 5-under 32 at the par-73 Vipingo Range course.
On the back nine, she birdied 11th and 13th but dropped a shot in between on Par-3 12th. She was 6-under after 13 and then parred out the last five.
Source: PTI News
