Featured
Tokyo Olympics: In-depth analysis of how Aditi Ashok has performed so far in Golf
Consistency is key in any sport especially if it is held over a longer duration and Aditi Ashok has been in brilliant form throughout
Aditi Ashok
Turn your heads to golf and see an Indian amongst the top 3 golfers in the women's round. 3 rounds have been played so far and Aditi has been sensational in all of them. She has not been swayed by her absolutely brilliant putting or constant fairway shots onto the green. She has kept her head down and maintained her position on the table simply by taking the tournament hole by hole. We take a look at a few notable stats of the Indian golfer as she looks to claim India's first medal in the sport at the Olympics.
Overview
Aditi has played a total 54 holes out of which she has not claimed any Eagles yet. That is fair enough given that even Norda Kelly has managed only 1 and getting an Eagle is generally quite tough. What is really superb is how consistent Aditi has been with her birdies. She has had 5 birdies on all three days of women's golf which basically means that she has 15 birdies out of 54 holes. While this could have easily been negated due to bogeys, Aditi has managed a total of 36 pars. For those who do not understand the rules of golf, this stat is more than mind boggling and is the exact reason why she is amongst the top 3 as of today. She has managed to ensure that she at least finishes the maximum number of holes with minimal bogeys.
Phenomenal GIR
If one were to make their way to the golf score card on the Olympics website, they will be able to find the statistics for all of Aditi's shots over the past 3 rounds. Something that stands out is how she has kept her GIR(Green in Regulation) consistent on all three days. The GIR index is judged based on if the ball is on the putting green within the expected number of strokes for that hole. Aditi has managed to a GIR of 13, 12 and 17 on each of the three rounds which is also a major representative of how brilliantly she has performed. This basically means that she has played a majority of the holes without losing a stroke either to the sand bunk, water bodies, rough green or simply an unfortunate fade shot that is the biggest frustration of all golfers when they play.
Minimal Bogeys
Bogey shots are basically when golfers go one above the maximum shots that a hole can be completed in. Aditi has managed to get only 3 bogeys out of 54 holes over the past 3 days. While this may have reduced her potential score from -15 to -12, it is a big feat to have such a number given that other golfers have already crossed 10-12 bogeys in the tournament. To give another perspective, Norda Kelly has also managed 3 bogeys till now. It is just that she has more birdies than anyone else which puts her in the top spot. If Aditi manages to get no bogeys tomorrow, it will help maintain her lead over other golfers and possibly even put her in contention to win Gold.
Brilliant Short Game
Watching her play, it begins to get obvious that her putting is one of the best among the 60 golfers who are playing with her. 70% of a golfers shots in every hole are always played on the green and there is no doubt that putting is the most important of all strokes. Aditi, barring a few puts here and there has managed to judge every single green correctly on her way to achieve 36 pars and 15 birdies. One of her best starts to the day was on Hole 4 when she got a birdie at the 205yd hole with a sensational long distance put. Hole 6 was another display of her short game skills as he landed a birdie with another brilliant put. This was repeated thrice more in the course of round 3 and we shall be hoping it continues to remain the same during round 4.
