Tokyo 2020: Aditi Ashok misses bronze by a whisker

Bengaluru, August 6: India's Aditi Ashok missed bronze medal by single shot as the Bengaluru-based golfer's three-under-par 68 on the final day and a tournament total of 15-under-269 earned her a fourth place finish at Tokyo 2020.

The other Indian in the fray -- Diksha Dagar -- finished tied 50th in the event held at Kasumigaseki Country Golf Club.

Overnight leader and world No.1 Nelly Korda won the gold with a final round 69 and 17-under total.

The American clinched the gold medal with a 2-under 69 that left her 17-under overall and a shot ahead of Japan's Mone Inami (65) and New Zealand's Lydia Ko (65).

Inami then edged and Ko in the one-hole play-off tie to clinch the the silver as the Kiwi had to settle for the bronze medal.

It was still a creditable show overall by the 23-year-old who shot 67 on the opening day, followed by 66 and then had had back-to-back rounds of 68.

Unlike other golf tournaments, at Tokyo 2020, the 60-player field played 18 holes each day with no half-way hut applied, with all the golfers getting to play 72 holes.

On the final day, play was disrupted for a while by a tropical storm after the leading pack had completed 16 holes, but soon resumed at the par-71 golf course.

Going into the final day, Aditi, who was sole second, had raised hopes of maiden medal for India in the sport, before ending up two strokes off the pace.

Though it was was a heartbreaking end to Aditi's campaign, it was nonetheless a major improvement as she had finished tied 41st in at Rio 2016 where golf made a comeback to the Olympics.

In the final round on Saturday (August 7), she fired five birdies -- on the 5th, 6th, 8th, 13th and 14th holes -- against two bogeys on the 9th and 11th.

Aditi was in medal contention for a major part of the day, but the two bogeys pulled her back while Ko surged ahead with a sensational nine birdies against just three dropped shots in her final round.

Aditi, who is ranked in 200th in the world and had her mother as her caddie at Tokyo 2020, has been making steady progress on the LPGA circuit and till now she has competed in 18 Majors.

The fourth-place finish at Tokyo 2020 will surely raise her morale when Aditi competes in big tournaments in future.