She pulled off the best performance by an Indian golfer in the Olympics but Aditi Ashok could not clinch the eagerly-anticipated medal, signing off 4th after spending a majority of the four rounds in contention for a podium finish, here on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Bengalurean ended two strokes off the pace with a total of 15-under 269, which was just one stroke below the medal bracket. In the final round, she managed a 3-under 68.
It was a heartbreaking end to Aditi’s campaign considering she started the day in sole second position.
But it was nonetheless a massive improvement as she had finished tied 41st in the 2016 edition where golf made a comeback to the Olympics after over 100 years.
In the final round, she fired five birdies — on the 5th, 6th, 8th, 13th and 14th holes — against two bogeys on the 9th and 11th. The world number 200 Indian had her mother Maheshwari as her caddie.
Aditi kept her smile intact even as her 25-foot birdie attempt ball slid past the cup on the 18th and final hole. With that she knew that her final chance of a shot at the medal in the Olympic women’s golf had gone.
Overnight leader and world number one Nelly Korda clinched the Gold medal with a 2-under 69 that left her 17-under overall and a shot ahead of Japan’s Mone Inami (65) and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko (65).
Inami and Ko competed in a play-off to decide the Silver and Bronze medal winners in which the former emerged triumphant.
On the play-off hole (par-4 18th), Ko dropped a bogey, while Inami managed to hold on for a par in overcast and damp conditions.
The other Indian in fray, Diksha Dagar, finished her campaign at tied 50th after managing her first sub-par round of the week, a one-under 70, which left her with an aggregate total of 6-over 290.