Aditi finishes Tied-17th for best finish in a Major

Evian-Les-Bains (France), Jul 15 (PTI) Indian golfer Aditi Ashok produced her best performance in a Major as she finished tied-17th at the Amundi Evian Championship with the help of three birdies in last four holes here.

Aditi carded 2-under 69 and 7-under for the week. It was the first time she finished inside Top-20 at a Major. Her previous best at a Major was T-22 at the 2018 Women’s Open.

Aditi, who has played more than 30 Majors, shot 71-70-67-69 at Evian Resort Golf Club.

Japan’s Ayaka Furue finished in a stunning manner with three birdies from 14th to the 16th and then an eagle on the 18th for a card of 69. She won her first major championship by a single shot when she holed an impressive eagle putt from 15 feet on the final green.

Aditi had an early bogey on the second, followed by a string of pars and then a birdie on the 12th and a bogey and a birdie on 13th to be 1-over after 13 holes. Then came two birdies on the 15th and the 16th and a closing birdie on the 18th.

Diksha Dagar, the other Indian in the field, withdrew after the first round. The two Indians will also play at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Furue powered past Australian Stephanie Kyriacou to close out at 265, 19-under-par, and scoop the USD 1.2 million first prize.

Locked in a three-way tie for the lead with clubhouse leader Patty Tavatanakit and Kyriacou coming to the 18th, Furue produced a moment of pure magic as her second shot flew over the lake protecting the green by the narrowest of margins and ended pin high.

When she sank the tricky right to left putt, there was a huge roar from the galleries and she secured her second Ladies European Tour-LPGA co-sanctioned event, following the 2022 Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open. She also has eight wins on the JLPGA.

“I am so honoured to be the winner of the 2024 Amundi Evian Championship, with the 30th anniversary and 10th anniversary of this being a major,” the 24-year-old from Kobe, who describes herself as too shy to even order her own food on the telephone, said.

She became the fourth Japanese player to win a major, following Chako Higuchi (1977 LPGA Championship), Hinako Shibuno (2019 AIG Women’s Open) and Yuka Sago, who won the US Women’s Open presented by Ally in May.

Kyriacou (67), who earned her best finish in a major championship, held the outright lead after 16 holes but dropped a shot on 17.

Tavatanakit ended in third place, with Coughlin in fourth, Haeran Ryu in fifth and Pajaree Anannarukarn in sixth position.

Esther Henseleit ended in a three-way tie for seventh place with Hye-Jin Choi and Peiyun Chien, whose round included a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th.