Aditi 2 shots adrift after third round
Jersey City, June 4
Indian golfer Aditi Ashok stayed in contention for the title as she carded a 4-under 68 on the third day of the Americas Open on the LPGA Tour here. Despite a late bogey on a chilly day, the 25-year-old was tied-second behind the 20-year-old Rose Zhang, who is making her debut as a professional.
Aditi has come into the event having finished tied-5th at the Founders Cup and tied-second, after losing in the playoff, at the LA Championship. Aditi has already won once on the Ladies European Tour this year and leads the Order of Merit.
After a bogey-free 67 on the first day, she carded an even-par 72 on the second. In the third round, she had five birdies in the first 10 holes. The highlight was a hole-out from the bunker for a birdie on the par-3 fourth. She looked set for another 67 before a bogey on the par-4 15th pulled her back. At 9-under, Aditi is tied with Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul (68-71-68) and USA’s Cheyenne Knight (69-68-70). Zhang shot a 66 after 70-69 on the first two days and is at 11-under.
In her seventh season, Aditi is still seeking her first LPGA win. Known for her short game, Aditi is reaping the benefits of working on her long game. “This course makes you think a lot. If you get the right angles and if you play it smart, I think it’s easier to not drop shots,” Aditi said. “That’s what I felt after the first round, so that’s what I tried to stick to. I think three bogeys so far is not too bad and hopefully I can keep that going,” she added. PTI
Diksha registers second straight top-10 finish
Allerum (Sweden): India’s Diksha Dagar today fought back with two birdies in the last five holes of the Helsingborg Ladies Open to finish in the top-10 for the second straight week. Diksha shot an even-par 72 and finished at 5-under in tied-8th place. Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson produced a sensational finish with birdies on the 15th and 16th and an eagle on the 18th to win the title by one shot. Vani Kapoor, who was tied-16th after the second round, slipped to tied-31st after a round of 74. Tvesa Malik ended tied-68th with a final round of 78. Amandeep Drall and Seher Atwal had missed the cut.
