Aditi Ashok’s 2016 season somehow keeps getting better.
Ashok, 18, just won her second straight Ladies European Tour title, taking the Qatar Ladies Open by three shots over Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall.
After starting the day tied for the lead, Ashok posted a final-round 3-under 69 with one bogey and four birdies, the last of which came in near-darkness at the par-5 18th, the result of a weather delay earlier earlier Saturday.
Ashok first made her mark on the golf world in August at the Rio Olympics, when she took a share of the second-round lead before finishing 41st.
She broke through for her first LET win two weeks ago in her native India, holding off Brittany Lincicome and Belen Mozo. She had registered four consecutive top-10 finishes on the LET before breaking through for her first win.
“My first win was special, because I won in India, but I feel played really good here,” Ashok answered, when asked to compare the two victories. “I had to play well every day, and I shot four sub-par rounds, so I think my game was much better this week. And, obviously, to win in Qatar, in the UAE – the golf course is the same as the men’s (for the Qatar Masters), so I know it’s kind of challenging, so to win here feels good.”
Ashok will now need to carry her momentum to the United States, as she turns her attention to the final stage of LPGA Qualifying School this week at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla.
