Aditi Ashok clinches victory over Georgia Hall despite late lapse
Saturday 4 November 2017 16:24, UK
Aditi Ashok overcame a late lapse in concentration to clinch her third Ladies European Tour title at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi.
The 19-year-old appeared to be cruising to victory when she rolled in her third birdie in five holes at the 15th to go four clear of fast-finishing Georgia Hall, who then reduced the deficit to three shots with her sixth birdie of the final day at 17.
Ashok parred the 16th and safely found the putting surface with her tee shot to the par-three penultimate hole, but she needed four putts to get down - including two missed from inside three feet - and walked off with a shocking double-bogey five.
Solheim Cup star Hall parred the last to close out a flawless 66 and assume the clubhouse lead on 17 under, leaving Ashok needing a par at the fourth most difficult hole at Saadiyat Beach to pip the young English ace to the title.
But the Indian sensation shook off the disappointment of the previous green as she regained her composure and knocked a sublime approach over water to 12 feet, and she safely two-putted for the winning par and a round of 69.
Asked to explain what went wrong on the 17th green, Ashok, who will defend her Hero Women's Indian Open crown in Gurgaon next week, said: "It wasn't really nerves, I think I just lapsed for a bit and made a four-putt.
"I was playing okay all day, but didn't make as many birdie putts as I wanted to, so I'm just glad I came out on top. I had my game plan and wasn't too aggressive, I just kept giving myself birdie putts and that was the plan on 17 as well.
"I don't know how I ended up four-putting and I did the same on 18, gave myself a birdie putt and it didn't go in, so I guess that was the story of my putting today, but the birdies in the middle helped."
Hall had to be content with her second straight runner-up finish in the event, while Camilla Lennarth snatched third ahead of Cheyenne Woods after the Swede birdied three of the last four holes.
"I'm a little bit disappointed because I thought I needed an eight-under day and I was ticking the shots off in my head," Hall said. "I hit the ball great all week, but I putted poorly and didn't hole anything today. All my birdie chances were inside 10 feet. Aditi played great again and managed to get a par on the last, so well done to her.
Ladies European Tour Golf
"I played one of the best long games I have played all year but the putts weren't going in and I was in between clubs on the last hole and went for the longer one. Maybe a bit of adrenaline went through me and I hit it too long.
"But I made a good up and down and, as far as I knew, I thought Aditi was 20 under so I was three behind going down the last and I didn't think I had a chance. If I had known, then maybe things would have been different."
