India’s Aditi Ashok secured her second victory of the Ladies European
Tour season, winning by two shots at the Andalucia Costa del Sol Open de
Espana.
The two-time Olympian had an impressive week where she improved round by
round at Real Club de Golf Las Brisas.
After rounds of 69-68-68 on the first three days, Ashok carded an
excellent bogey-free 66 on the final day to win with a total of 17-under-par.
“It started out slow, I was missing a lot of birdies for the first six to
eight holes,” said Ashok.
“I hit it close on seven, after that I felt like I still had a chance.
Initially, it felt like I was two shots away the whole time. I’m glad it picked
up on the back nine.
“It was a great battle. Anne (Van Dam), when she’s playing good, she can
blow the field away and win by five to 10 shots. I knew I had to not stop
making birdies and to keep trying.
“Her par when she hit the trees on 15 and my long putt, that switched the
momentum a little bit. She is a great player and kept me honest out there.”
Ashok, who was in a tie for second place overnight, didn’t make her first
birdie until the seventh but that kicked off her momentum.
She added two more on the 10th and 13th but it was her three birdies on
the trot on 15, 16 and 17 to seal her fifth LET title and her second of the
season, after she also won the season-opening event in Kenya.
Ashok continued, “On the front nine I wasn’t hitting it as good,
somewhere on the back on 13 when I hit that 8-iron close I feel I made a good
swing and it just picked up from there. I made three or four good swings and
all of those were in holeable range. I guess the 16th tee shot was the shot of
the day.
“One 18, I have struggled with that tee shot and missed it right almost
all four days. It was a weird lie in the rough, I didn’t know if it would go
left on me, and it did. I was just trying to make sure I had a good look at
par.”
Dutch star Anne Van Dam ended the week in second place on 15-under-par
after a final round of 68 (-4).
Van Dam, who has won this tournament twice previously, went toe-to-toe
with Ashok throughout the final round and had five birdies and one bogey on her
scorecard.
“It was a tough day,” said the five-time LET winner. “I was in there all
day and it was super close. Aditi just came out and played unbelievably and she
definitely deserved to win this week.
“I’m very pleased with my season overall. I came close six times now, I
just need to keep working hard and the wins are right around the corner.”
Spain’s Ana Pelaez Trivino ended the week in third place after a final
round of 68 (-4) which included five birdies and one bogey.
“It was a special week,” said the Malaga native. “I felt like I was ready
to compete this week with more passion and calmness than ever. I think I did a
really good job on that. Also, a really good week to go into LPGA Q-Series next
week. I’m happy overall.
“There were lots of positives, I was very consistent. I’m very thankful
for the all the learning experiences that I have had and I’m looking forward to
next season.”
Sweden’s Linn Grant and Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley finished in a tie
for fourth place on 12-under-par in Spain with Belgium’s Manon De Roey in
outright sixth.
Defending champion Caroline Hedwall, India’s Diksha Dagar, Norway’s
Madelene Stavnar, France’s Celine Boutier and Spanish amateur Andrea Revuelta
ended the week in a share of seventh place on 10-under-par.
In the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, it was Trichat Cheenglab who came away
with the trophy with a tally of 1,966.52 points ahead of Boutier and Dagar.
Cheenglab follows in the footsteps of compatriot Atthaya Thitikul and
becomes the sixth player to win both the Race to Costa del Sol and Rookie of
the Year titles in the same season.
ANI
