Sixteen years and five months is rather young to be wearing your country’s colours at a major international sporting event. But Aditi Ashok has spent the whole of her promising golfing career punching above her weight. So as she makes her way to South Korea for the 17th Asian Games this week, the last thing Aditi will be is intimidated.
“These Games are definitely different from a normal golf tournament. The atmosphere is a lot different. But I have been to the Youth Olympics (Nanjing) last month and the Youth Asian Games last year. That has given me a little bit of exposure,” she says.
A student at Bangalore’s Frank Anthony Public School, Aditi has been a consistent figure on the Indian amateur golfing scene. She is currently number two among the country’s ladies and has enjoyed a fairly successful season. So confidence should not be in short supply.
“I have had a few good finishes this season, although I’ve played just three or four events nationally,” she says. “I won the 34th Asia Pacific Juniors at the back end of last year. One month ago, I won the Asia Pacific Trophy (at the R & A’s Junior Open in the UK), and last week I did well at the World Amateur Team Championship in Japan (tied 30th individually and 17th as a team).”
But representing the nation is often harder than battling for personal glory. “When I’m playing for India, there’s a lot more emotion involved,” she says.
“Also when you play as a team, there is a difference. In individual tournaments you’re simply playing your own game. But I know my team-mates (Astha Madan and Gurbani Singh) well. I played with them in Japan last week. That helps.”
For many amateurs, turning out for the country is one of the principal motivations to delay the start of their professional careers. It is much the same with Aditi. “I hope to play on,” she says, at a felicitation ceremony organized for her by the Toyota Karnataka Golf Festival and the state Department of Tourism. “I’ve thought about turning pro but it’s not an immediate idea. I want to finish school first.”
A podium finish in Incheon would be hard but it’s not entirely out of the realms of possibility. “I have had a lot of tournament practice; so that’s good preparation,” Aditi says. “I’ll do my best.”
