Aditi Ashok continued her fine form in 2023 by firing a round of 66 (-6) on Day 2 of the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by Public Investment Fund.
The Indian star backed up an excellent first day of 65 (-7) with the joint-best round of the day on Friday to post a total of 13-under-par and hold a two-shot lead at Royal Greens.
Related: Aditi Ashok hot on the heels of World No 1 Lydia Ko
It was a phenomenal front nine for Aditi, who teed off from hole 10, as she rolled in birdies on 10, 11, 13, 14 and 16 before holing out for an eagle on 18.
“Whenever I stepped to the ball, I just knew the ball was going in,” said Aditi. “It was just one of those days where everything works in your favour. The front nine was definitely like that.
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“On 18, I was just trying to aim a little left because the wind was off the left for that birdie shot. I struggled a bit on my short game in general the past three weeks, but I think my bunker shots have been the best part so far of my short game.
“I was kind of happy that I hit it two on, but I missed, and I had a bunker shot. That was kind of the play for me. It was just a perfect shot and one of those days where the ball wants to get in the hole.”
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Despite having a tougher back nine, as the wind picked up, the 24-year-old finished with a flourish rolling in a birdie on hole nine.
The 2023 Race to Costa del Sol leader added: “I hope I just keep giving myself the birdie putts I’ve been giving the past two days. More birdie chances and more birdie putts, that favours my style of golf. Hitting fairways and greens keeps the big numbers out of play and keeps the mistakes off the card, so just trying to do more of that.”
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New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and America’s Lilia Vu sit in a tie for second place on 11-under-par after rounds of 69 and 66, respectively.
World number one Ko began her day with a birdie on the first before dropping a shot on the third, but she made up for it with birdies on the fourth and ninth holes.
On the back nine when the wind picked up, the New Zealander made three birdies and two bogeys for her round of three-under.
“I normally have a pretty wide stance for I think the width of my shoulders, but it was just getting wider and wider,” said Ko. “I still couldn’t keep my putter stable enough.
“On 16, I ended up making the putt, but hit it so far off the middle of the club face there is probably no like control in that area. It’s just one of those days that you know it’s going to be tough. It’s tough for everyone.
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“Luckily for us, we were one of the early few groups in the afternoon, so we had to bear with this wind a little shorter than maybe some of the other players. It’s something that was forecasted. I knew it was going to be difficult, but all in all, I thought I played pretty solid in the stretch where it did get pretty windy.”
While Vu had an error-free second round with birdies on holes one, four, five, nine, ten and 18 to also be on 11-under-par at the midway mark.
The American said: “I think the wind helped because it helps you play one shot at a time. The wind was a little different from yesterday, so we had to adjust to that, but just playing one shot at a time is the key.”
