While a grow-the-game mantra turned a lot of people off from enjoying golf's Olympic moment, a story like Aditi Ashok may make one of the biggest countries in the world take notice of golf. Even if she fades over the final two days, India's 18-year-old, world No. 462 has opened with two 68s. She sits just four strokes back of Inbee Park and in some impressive company as the women's competition has a very solid leaderboard.
Mike McCallister at PGATour.com did a fantastic job of piecing together Ashok's story along with the role her caddie father plays, and her mother, who is back home and as dad says, "is the pillar of her whole golfing journey.”
Read the full piece, it's really special, especially given that no one in her family played golf and she was naturally drawn to the sport when the family breakfasted near a driving range.
Her name, which means “boundless,” is appropriate given her eagerness to learn and desire to improve.
“Golf every day is different,” she said. “You never hit the same show twice. So every day is a new experience, and you can’t really come with any expectations. The game is bigger than all of us, so that’s what I like about it.”
Four years ago her mother, a former radio disk jockey, realized there was a chance Aditi could qualify for the Olympics, so they focused their energies and schedule toward that. This week, Aditi and her mother have Skyped every night. Their conversations last about an hour.
“Sometimes we’re both talking,” she said, “and then we can’t hear each other.”
Aditi tees off at 10:47 am local time in the third-to-last group with Minjee Lee and Candie Kung.
Geoff