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OLYMPIC GAMES RIO 2016: GOLF

August 18, 2016

Aditi Ashok

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

ADITI ASHOK: I shot 3‑under both days, so that's pretty consistent for me. I dropped a few shots today, a couple shots and I could have been a few shots better, but I'm happy going into the weekend?

Q. How important would it be for India for you to win a medal here?
ADITI ASHOK: I think it would be big in India, and also being a golfer, a woman golfer, it will definitely boost the popularity of the sport. That's what I'm hoping to do.

Q. In India?
ADITI ASHOK: In India and also all over the world, because golf is in the Olympics for the first time, so I think it would make golf more public among the general people who watch golf, not just the golf fans who watch it right now.

Q. What is it about golf that first captured your love of the game? What is it about it that you love it so much?
ADITI ASHOK: Well, I think golf every day is different. You never hit the same shot twice. So every day is a new experience, and you can't really come with any expectations. The game is bigger than all of us, so that's what I like about it. Every day, you have a new experience.

Q. Who was your inspiration growing up?
ADITI ASHOK: Growing up, I really liked‑‑ in the women's game, I liked Annika a lot, because she was really consistent and she was one of the dominant players the women's game has had, so yeah, I looked up to her a lot.

Q. How popular is the game in India?
ADITI ASHOK: It's growing. It's much better than it was five or ten years ago but it's still not where it should be. We still need to have a lot more golf courses and a lot more juniors playing the sport. I'm hoping that happens soon.

Q. Is it accessible to people from all areas of life?
ADITI ASHOK: Well, golf is still pretty expensive in India compared to other sports. It's not like golf has reached like schools. It's not that big in the grass root level. So I think that's where golf needs to improve. But having a few European tournaments in India, and now we have a men's tour and a women's tour, it's definitely growing.

Q. Who is more nervous, you or your dad?
ADITI ASHOK: I don't know. I would say me still, because I'm still hitting the shot, but it's a good question. I'll ask him.

Q. How do you like the course here?
ADITI ASHOK: It's nice. It was a bit windy. It was windy for me on the back nine. But it's different‑‑ it played different yesterday and it played different today because of the wind. I'm enjoying it.

Q. What's your family background?
ADITI ASHOK: Mom, dad and just me. None of us play golf. We all started together.

Q. And how does it compare to the Youth Olympic Games?
ADITI ASHOK: The Youth Olympics was a lot of fun and playing that made me want to qualify for the Olympics even more. Now this experience is even better, so I'm enjoying it.

Q. What's the difference here?
ADITI ASHOK: Well, Youth Olympics was still under 18, but here everyone is the best in the world. So it's a really high level of competition. You push yourself harder every day, so, yeah, it's good.

Q. So you're the youngest player in the field?
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah.

Q. Are you surprised to be on the leaderboard or do you expect to be there?
ADITI ASHOK: Well, I didn't expect to be there obviously. I just tried to follow my game plan and do my best every day, and now I'm up there, so I'm really looking forward to the weekend.

Q. The format limited the number from each country, so when you look at that scoreboard, there's women from all over the world. Is that inspiring to you?
ADITI ASHOK: Yes, it is inspiring. I think it will definitely help women's golf all over the world. I mean, a lot of girls are going to know that, oh, a girl from my country is playing and pretty much almost ‑‑ a lot of countries have representation, so it's really good.

Q. How did you do on your high school exams?
ADITI ASHOK: I did pretty well. We get a percentage, so I got 87 percent.

Q. What were your parents' professions?
ADITI ASHOK: My mom used to work in IT in the human resources department for awhile. Then she was a radio jockey for a bit. I guess she got bored of that and changed. The last four or five years, she hasn't been working, just managing me. My dad is in real estate.

Q. What introduced you to golf at a young age?
ADITI ASHOK: Actually me and my parents were having breakfast at a restaurant which overlooked the driving range, and one day we decided to walk in, and I really enjoyed putting. That's how I learned the game; I started with putting, and then I reached the long game. So yeah, I found it interesting.
When I started playing tournaments and competing with other kids my age, that was fun.

Q. Do you have a coach?
ADITI ASHOK: Steven Giuliano. He lives in Malaysia. He's Australian. I've been with him since 2012.

Q. You are going to the U.S. next week for the LPGA qualifying, how excited are you about that?
ADITI ASHOK: Very excited. I couldn't play it last year because I wasn't 18, so yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.

Q. Having your dad on the bag, do you solicit his advice? Do you argue a bit?
ADITI ASHOK: Not really. I think he's been caddying for me since the age of nine, ten, so he really knows my game and he knows what to say and when to say it. Yeah, I think we have a good partnership.

Q. He says he doesn't give you any advice; he just cleans the clubs.
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, I really rarely ask him anything, but when I do, he keeps it short. It's good.

Q. Were the crowds like you expected?
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, it's pretty much‑‑ I played the LPGA event in Malaysia last year, so I was kind of used to the crowds. But yeah, I hope there will be more people on the weekend.

Q. Do you have any future plans for college or anything, or are you just going to focus on pro golf?
ADITI ASHOK: I'm going to focus on pro golf. Maybe I'm going to do college in India, as well, but mainly focus on golf and do the degree on the side. Probably journalism.

Q. Do you like to write?
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, sort of. It's fun. There's a lot you can do, television, audio. Seems interesting. You all should tell me if it's not.
I'm really looking forward to giving it my best and getting a medal for my country. That would be big for me and India. It would definitely make our country focus on golf more knowing that we brought a medal, so I'm really hoping to do that.

Q. Extra pressure?
ADITI ASHOK: Not really. Eventually when I tee off, I'm just going to focus on my game. When you're out playing for your country, it's a huge honor.

Q. That India wins so few medals, does that make the country want to rise up in sports?
ADITI ASHOK: Definitely. I think there's a lot more support for sports now, especially in the last five years than it was before. People are now understanding that sports can be a career option. So yeah, it's definitely growing. It should grow more.

Q. Your father says that you get your composure from your mother.
ADITI ASHOK: I would agree, yeah.

Q. She's the one that kind of organizes?
ADITI ASHOK: Yeah, she manages me. She's a really good thinker, I would say. She knows a lot of stuff and she helps me think well on the course and be positive. I think that's how she's helped me a lot.

Q. Have you spoken to her every day since you've been here?
ADITI ASHOK: Pretty much, yeah, Skype.

Q. How long are those conversations?
ADITI ASHOK: Like an hour.

Q. Who does most of the talking, you or her?
ADITI ASHOK: It's kind of like even. Sometimes we're both talking and then we can't hear each other.

Q. What would you ask yourself if you were a journalist?
ADITI ASHOK: I think you've covered everything.

Q. What was the name of the golf club where you were having breakfast?
ADITI ASHOK: That was the Karnataka Golf Association. That's the state that I'm from. It's in Bengaluru, KGA.

Q. And you just stayed out on the putting green?
ADITI ASHOK: For like a couple hours maybe.

Some comments from Aditi Ashok’s father:-

Q.What do you think this means back home for a nation that doesn't really cherish golf?
PANDIT GUDLAMANI ASHOK: Hopefully she'll make the sport popular and a lot of kids pick up and golf becomes another great sport in India. Luckily she's doing well and a lot of people are looking up to her. We're getting a lot of messages from the country, friends, family, saying we are all rooting for you. Indians are not performing well at the Olympics and hopefully if she gets to the podium, it will be great.

Q. Is the story true that her interest good golf started when you were at a restaurant?
PANDIT GUDLAMANI ASHOK: Exactly. There is a restaurant by the golf club. We were just having breakfast and we looked at the driving range where people are hitting balls. We were very intrigued and just walked in. She was 5 1/2, and she played her first round of golf when she was six years, two months.

Q. So you did not play?
PANDIT GUDLAMANI ASHOK: We just wanted to get some family activity, me, my wife and my daughter. So we all learned. It was like a family lesson. I saw her interest growing and when she played her first round, 18 holes, from normal red tees, not kids, so she finished 18 holes, I could see her red cheeks and stuff.
But then she said, I want to go back. I thought she would be like tired and stuff. I felt she's very, very passionate about the sport and then she took it on from there. From the age of seven, she started playing junior tournaments. In India, we don't have a separate tournament for girls, boys, kids, so boys and girls played together. So from an early age, she's been competing with the boys.
To the age of 11, 12, she played with boys. I guess that helped her. She was a pretty short hitter. So she's worked hard on that short game. In fact, she worked from the green towards the tee box with her game. So I think that's why she could make a decent up‑and‑down there for a bogey.

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