Aditi Ashok, who held a commanding seven-stroke lead going into the final round, unexpectedly ended up with a score of 77 strokes. This surprising turn of events transformed what seemed like a guaranteed gold medal at the beginning of the day into a silver medal, all thanks to the unpredictable nature of golf.

 

 

India's silver medalist Aditi Ashok poses with her medal during the presentation ceremony

 

 

At the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Aditi Ashok secured the first-ever medal for Indian women's golf. However, her performance on the final day left everyone perplexed. How could she transition from a remarkable career-low round of 61, featuring nine birdies and an eagle, to a lackluster round of 77 with just one birdie? How could she suddenly struggle with her tee shots, missing eight fairways during the round, after delivering pinpoint accuracy the day before?

 

 

The score of five-over par 77 marked Ashok's worst round of the year, comparable to her 76s at prestigious events like the US Open and AIG Women's British Open, both major tournaments. Golf's age-old adage that it's nearly impossible to follow up a low round with another one added to the intrigue of the situation.

 

 

Despite her disappointing Sunday performance, Ashok had already built a substantial lead throughout the week, finishing with an impressive four-day tally of 17-under par. Unfortunately, her silver medal quest was foiled by Thailand's Arpichaya Yubol, who shot a four-under par 68 to clinch the gold medal with a total score of -19.

 

 

India missed out on the chance to win a team medal as well, with both Pranavi Urs (75) and Avani Prashanth (76) posting over-par scores. They finished in fourth place at 22-under par, just two shots behind the bronze medal position held by China, while Thailand secured the team golf title at 34-under par.

 

 

The decisive moment for Ashok came on the par-3 16th hole when, leading by one shot over Yubol, she mishit her hybrid, sending the ball into the water hazard on the left. This double bogey erased her seven-shot lead from the start of the day, putting her one shot behind Yubol, who further solidified her lead with a birdie on the par-5 17th hole.

 

 

 India’s Aditi Ashok competes in the Women’s Individual Golf Round 4 at the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China.

 

 

In some ways, Ashok found the silver medal more distressing than her fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. At the Olympics, she displayed remarkable golf skills against the world's best players, but her performance in Hangzhou didn't live up to her expectations.

 

 

Ashok commented on her performance, saying, "Obviously, it wasn't a good day, and I played badly. There's no way to talk around it." Despite the disappointing final day, she acknowledged that her overall performance for the four days was commendable. She also mentioned her unusual struggles with missing fairways, which hindered her ability to make birdies.

 

 

While the Asian Games silver medal was an improvement from her Olympic finish, Ashok still felt the sting of missing out on an Olympic bronze. She expressed optimism, stating, "Probably, the silver will start looking a lot better after a couple of weeks."

 

 

In men's golf, Anirban Lahiri delivered the best final round among the contenders with a score of 68, finishing tied for 12th place at 14-under par. Khalin Joshi (73) tied for 27th at seven-under par, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia finished 30th at six-under, and Shubhankar Sharma was 32nd at two-under 74.