Indian golfer Aditi Ashok finishes third in Morocco
Aditi Ashok gave it her best but was unable to make the putter work as she finished third in the Lalla Meryem Cup with a score of 1-under 72 in the third and final round. A week after winning the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, Aditi ended at 7-under after starting the final round at 6-under.
Maja Stark of Sweden, who took the lead after starting two strokes down, was in excellent form despite making one bogey on each half of the course. Stark defeated Linn Grant, a fellow Swede, by four strokes after shooting 4-under for a total of 12-under (68). Stark won her sixth LET championship with this accomplishment.
Aditi took solace in the fact that she is still in the lead in the 2023 Race to Costa Del Sol (Order of Merit). She earned 230 points, bringing her total to 730. Stark gained 500 points this week to move up to second place. Aditi birdied the first hole to tie Stark after the Swede made a bogey, and the drama was already underway.
However, Stark bounced back quickly, seizing the initiative on the front nine. She beat Aditi by making birdies two, five, and nine on her return. Grant, who was five strokes behind at the start of the day, carded birdies on holes 12, 14, and 15 while finishing the back nine in 34 (-3) to cut the deficit to two.
Grant's momentum was halted after she bogeyed the par-4 16th for the third straight day. Stark answered with a birdie of her own on the following hole, 14. The 23-year-old Stark then maintained his composure while three strokes ahead of Aditi and Grant with four holes remaining. She made a birdie on the 17th before winning with a superb par save on the 18th to end on -12.
Stark began the LPGA season last month by being in a tie for second place at the LPGA Tour's Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Championship. Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland finished fourth on -6 after shooting a final round 69. Jana Melichova of the Czech Republic and Ana Pelaez Trivino of Spain tied for fifth place.