Olympics has been a dream for several athletes and golfer Aditi Ashok is no different.
Talking about her Olympic debut in the woman's individual event at the Olympics, scheduled to start on the Olympic Golf Course from Wednesday, Aditi says, "Playing in the Olympics was my goal since 2012 and to be here as an Indian, to have made it to the Olympics is a big achievement for me."
The Olympic field is restricted to a field of 60 players in both men's and women's golf, and the top 15 world-ranked players are all eligible, with a limit of four players from each country. The 18-year-old Aditi became the sole Indian woman to have made the cut to the top 60.
Nice chatting with @ANNIKA59 on the course @OlympicGolf during my first practice round #Olympics #Golf #IND #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/kHh6OZsOUd
- Aditi Ashok (@aditigolf) 16 August 2016
"The experience of being in the village (Olympic Village) and now playing in the Olympics with the best in the world feels surreal. I'm so happy to be here," she says.
Talking about her chances at the event, Aditi says, "Golf is a game where a good day for anybody is probably going to be the best in the field. So if I have four good days, then I'm sure I'll have a good chance."
The women's golf tournament in Rio - a 72-hole stroke play event - will be making a comeback to the Olympics after 116 years, with the the last event been played in 1900.
My Tee Times for Rounds 1 & 2 @OlympicGolf 17-Aug at 9:36 am 18-Aug at 7:41 am #Olympics #Rio2016 Women's #Golf #IND pic.twitter.com/S79q3Kiq7I
- Aditi Ashok (@aditigolf) 16 August 2016
The women's event will see the participation of several top players, including the top three-ranked golfers in the world, Lydia Ko of New Zealand, Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand and Brooke Henderson of Canada.
The event is scheduled to start at 4 pm, while Aditi's tee starts at 6.06 pm IST.
Previously, the men's tournament concluded with Great Britain's Justin Rose winning gold and Sweden's Henrik Stenson winning silver. India's Anirban Lahiri finished 57th, while SSP Chawrasia finished 50th.
