Aditi Ashok in shared lead at weather-hit LPGA event

PTI

The Colony (US): India's Aditi Ashok shared the lead and gave herself a great chance of grabbing a breakthrough win after the Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic was reduced to 36 holes because of inclement weather.

With rain giving her a chance to tee off earlier, she got to play her first round on Saturday and had to begin her second round, which has also become the tournament's final round, the same day.

In the 32 holes she has played so far, Aditi reached 6-under and was tied for the lead with four others.

Nicole Broch Larsen was at 6-under with four to play; Gaby Lopez, another hopeful first time winner, is also at 6-under with seven holes to finish today. Lopez posted a 68 in round one and made five birdies over her first 11 holes in her final round.

Jenny Shin and Sung Hyun Park each played four holes yesterday morning as the first round resumed and finished at 6-under to share the first round lead. Neither started their final round. Shin will tee off at 12:41 p.M. While Park will tee at 12:19 p.M.

Aditi, 20, played 32 holes yesterday and made 10 birdies in them. Her putter was amazing. She had 23 putts over her first 18 holes, which she played in 2-under 69. She then took 18 on her first 14 holes of the final round and was 4-under with four holes to play.

In one stretch of over six holes from seventh to 12th, she had five birdies against one bogey to get to 6-under. Ashok will pick up her final round on hole 15. If she does win, she will be the first from India to ever win on the LPGA.

"Sometimes I get off the golf course and I wish I had nine more holes because I'm playing so good and that kind of happened today," said Ashok, who has two career Top-10 finishes on the LPGA.

"I was playing good towards the end of my first round and continued that into my second round. I got better with the speed of the greens and kept making putts.

"I'm just going to focus on my four holes Sunday and make the best of it that I can. Maybe it'll be good enough to give the overnight leaders something to chase, but even then I've had such a good week that it has been fun."

In the first round Aditi had a bogey on 13th, but birdies on 16th, 18th, first and third saw her get to 3-under before a bogey on ninth saw her finish at 69.

A little later she began her second and final round. A bogey on third was followed by a birdie on fourth. She then birdied seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th and 12th and dropped a shot on ninth.