Dubai: Aditi Ashok, the 2016 Ladies European Tour (LET) Rookie of the Year, is now targeting the same prize on the LPGA Tour in America next season after earning conditional membership at Q-School in Florida this week.
The 18-year-old from Bengaluru, India, burst onto the scene in Europe this season with six top 10s in 14 appearances, including two back-to-back wins in India and Qatar last month.
She was also third at the half way stage of the Olympics before finishing 41st in Rio.
Fresh from Q-School in Florida this week where she finished tied for 24th, the teen is now competing in this weekend’s LET season-ending Omega Dubai Ladies Masters at Emirates Golf Club.
“Now I want to win Rookie of the Year on the LPGA Tour as well,” she told Gulf News. “That would be really amazing if I could do that.
“I will try and do well in all the LPGA events I get because I may not get as many events as some of the other rookies because of my conditional status.
“If I play well in the tournaments I get, I will get into a lot more tournaments, but I have to focus on the first few events in order to get into more towards the later part of the year.
“It would be really good if I can do that and it’s definitely my goal next season.”
Of her breakthrough year, she added: “I had a slow start to the year but then I got into the Olympics and that kick started my season.
“I started getting a lot of media attention and playing more events, so in a way you could say the Olympics was a turning point, but it was also down to the fact I started playing more tournaments.
“Winning LET Rookie of the Year wasn’t looking good until I won in India and that put me on the right track and I followed it up with victory in Qatar, which was really good.
“It was always my target to win in my rookie season but to get that win at home in India, and then to follow it up so soon afterwards was pretty cool.
“Last week in LPGA Q-School I got a conditional card, it wasn’t a great week, but it was still good enough. It’s been a really good first year so hopefully I can carry on next year as well.”
As well as being Aditi’s first win, the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurgaon, Haryana, was also the first time an Indian had won the event.
“It was the tenth event, so to get an Indian winner within 10 years is pretty good. It’s huge for women’s golf in India.
“It has helped popularise the sport, a lot of kids are now open to golf because they can see I’m just 18-years-old, so if I can do it, more can consider it.
“It’s also good for the tournament’s sponsor, [Pawan Munjal] who sponsors the professional tour in India as well. It’s a big boost for him and I hope he can keep growing the game more.
“Golf is growing in India but we still need more infrastructure to be more accessible to the wider public.
“When I was growing up we had just two courses in Bengaluru but now there are six or seven, so it’s definitely growing but for the number of people we have, it’s still not there.”
Asked if she was worried about staying grounded after the speed of her ascent, she replied: “Golf is a game where you have to focus every week.
“Even if you won the week before, nothing is guaranteed, you still have to come out and focus for four days, otherwise you can’t get the job done.
“In that sense I’ve always been focused and just take it one week at a time.”