Women's PGA Championship: Aditi Ashok makes steady start

SAMMAMISH (USA): It took the country’s leading pro Aditi Ashok nine holes to find her rhythm and range. Three-over at the turn, the 26- year-old found her touch just as the mercury began to soar on the opening day of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship here on Thursday.
But for one poor shot on the 14th hole, the Bengalurean hardly put a foot wrong on the back nine en route to an even-par 72 in the $10.4 million event at the par-72, 6,754-yard Sahalee Country Club course.
Aditi was tied 22nd, four shots off the pace.
American Lexi Thompson, who got off the blocks with three straight birdies in the afternoon, took a one-shot lead over Olympic champion Nelly Korda and Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit. Playing a few groups ahead of Thompson, Aditi hit her straps on the back nine with two back-toback birdies.
She sank a monstrous 50-foot putt on the 10th and holed an eight-footer on the next that was set up by a brilliant gap wedge third shot. Aditi dropped a shot on the 14th, where she left her 8-iron second shot short of the green and missed a 12-foot par putt.
She quickly put that blemish behind her and nailed the pin on the 16th with a 7-iron for a birdie and sank a tough 15-footer on the closing hole for her 72 on a tough scoring day.
“I didn’t play well on the first nine holes,” said Aditi, the first Indian athlete to book an Olympic spot. “It was good to bounce back with four birdies on the back
nine.”
Select scores (After 18 holes) - 68: Lexi Thompson (US); 69: Patty Tavatanakit (Thai), Nelly Korda (US); 70: Mao Saigo (Jpn), Hinako Shibuno (Jpn), Madelene Sagstrom (Swe), Celine Boutier (Fra), Charley Hull (Eng); 71: Ruoning Yin (Chn, T-15); 72: Aditi Ashok (Ind, T-22)