Aditi Ashok vows to be back after finishing T-29; Lydia Ko wins gold at Paris Olympics

NEW DELHI: Aditi Ashok, who narrowly missed a medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics, did not come anywhere close performance to a medal in women's golf competition at the Paris Olympics, finishing a tied-29th Saturday.
With rounds of 72-71-79-68 over four days, Aditi tallied 2-over 290, a significant drop from her 15-under score in Tokyo.
New Zealander Lydia Ko clinched the gold medal, marking her third Olympic medal and securing her place in the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Three years ago in Tokyo, Aditi's fourth-place finish had raised expectations, but the challenging conditions at Le Golf National proved tougher this time.
Aditi displayed moments of brilliance, especially on the last day, where she shot a 4-under 68 in the 60-player field.
Reflecting on her performance, Aditi said, "I think today was probably the best day for me. I feel like I was hitting approach shots and I was holing putts. Both were working, so I think that's where the seven birdies came from. Also, the conditions were a little better today. Not as windy. So, it was easier to manage today than yesterday."
She elaborated on her overall experience throughout the week, adding, "I think, overall, the first couple of days the scores were okay but I feel like that double on the 18th (second round) kind of killed the momentum a little bit.
"And, of course, the third day, those 3-putts and the 7-plus (79) took me out of the competition. Overall, it was a decent week. Not great, not bad."
Aditi remains optimistic about her future prospects at the Olympics.
"Yeah, for sure (2028 LA). I think I just need to get to a point where all four days are not really struggling with any part of my game. I think sometimes in the season, you get those stretches where a few weeks, everything is working and you know those are the times you can make it happen," said Aditi.
Diksha Dagar, another participant, faced a challenging tournament. Following an 80 in the third round, she shot 78 in the final round, tallying a total of 13-over 301, which left her far from the top contenders.
Lydia Ko's journey to the gold was marked by steady performance and resilience under pressure.
At one point, she had a five-shot lead. Ko, who already had a silver from Rio 2016 and a bronze from Tokyo 2021, needed a birdie on her final hole to secure the gold medal. Her final score of 71 ensured she finished two shots ahead of Germany's Esther Henseleit and three shots ahead of China's Xiyu Lin, who took silver and bronze, respectively. With this victory, Ko became the first golfer in the modern era to win three Olympic medals.
After three rounds, Ko was tied with Switzerland's Morgane Metraux at nine-under par, while Rose Zhang and Japan's Miyu Yamashita were tied for third at seven under. However, the final round witnessed significant drama, with Metraux faltering and Ko managing to maintain her composure. Ko birdied the 3rd and 7th holes to reach 10-under, gaining a two-shot lead, and another birdie on the 9th extended her lead to four shots midway through the final round.
Though Ko's lead saw fluctuations, particularly after a double-bogey on the 13th hole, she managed to hold off a late challenge from Henseleit. The German golfer birdied the 17th and 18th holes, reducing Ko's advantage to just one shot. Yet, Ko remained focused, parring her way to the 18th tee, where she secured the gold with a final birdie.
Reflecting on her play, Ko's conservative strategy on the final hole paid off. She laid up with an iron and approached the green with a short-iron play, eventually sinking the birdie putt amidst applause.