Ashok clinches Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Open

It was an exhilarating final day for fans as a back-nine battle saw India’s Aditi Ashok hold on today to emerge victorious in the second Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Open golf tournament with an untouchable 18 under par. Repeating her performance of last year, 21-year old Georgia Hall was runner-up.

The event is part of the Ladies European Tour. Ashok, who started the day in first position after three solid performances, hit her weakest round of the week; which was still an astonishingly low 3 under par, just enough for her to claim the trophy, a career third LET title, and € 70,787.85 first prize purse.

"I’m happy I came out on top," Ashok said, adding, "It was the plan on the seventeenth as well, so I don’t know how that happened. I did the same on 18 and gave myself a birdie chance and it just didn’t go in. On the tee box I actually watched Georgia hit the second shot and heard clapping, so knew that was a par putt. I figured out I only had a one shot lead and I was kind of in-between minds whether I should go over the water or go from the left. I decided to go from the left and it worked."

Ashok was certainly the most consistent over the four days so it was no surprise the seasoned golfer would be in the final mix. She said, "I was in control as I had my game plan and I wasn’t too aggressive. I just kept giving myself birdie putts. That was the story of my putting all week. I guess it was the birdies that did it for me."

Georgia Hall went into the final day in fifth position, looking to better her runner-up performance from 2016, and with a stellar front nine of 33 consisting of three birdies and six pars. The back nine saw Hall manage three birdies and six pars, meaning she once again had to settle for second place.

Hall said: "I’m a little disappointed, I thought to myself I needed 8 under today and I was ticking them off in my head. I hit the ball great all week but putted really badly, and didn’t hole anything today. But Aditi played great again and managed to par the last, so well done to her."

She added: "I played the best rounds, in terms of my long game in 2017, but putting, I hit good ones and they just weren’t going in. Going down the last, I thought I was three behind, so I thought I had no chance. If I had known, may,be things would have been different but it is what it is. But I really enjoyed the week in Abu Dhabi and had a lot of fun."

Sweden’s Camilla Lennarth produced a consistent performance during the day of six birdies, aside from a fourteenth hole bogey, keeping her nipping at the heels of Ashok and Hall. It was not quite enough to catch the top two.

Congratulating the lady golfers, Dr. Mai Al Jaber, Board Member of the Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, said, "It has been wonderful to witness their power and grace this week and they have provided us with four days of amazing action. I have no doubt that their participation will inspire women of all ages to become involved in this sport. As members of the Abu Dhabi sporting community, our vision is to inspire the next generation of UAE sports stars by offering them the platform to succeed. We look forward to continuing the tournament’s legacy and further growing the game here in Abu Dhabi."

Aref Al Awani, General Secretary at Abu Dhabi Sports Council, ADSC, owner of the event, said, "We would like to thanks Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak - Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, for her continued efforts in ensuring that ladies excel in all sports, and positioning Abu Dhabi as a global sports destination for them.

"We saw a great numbers of visitors over the past four days, which we consider to be a huge success in encouraging ladies and young people to play this game. This tournament will continue to be at the forefront of the global agenda as one of the most important stages for the players.

"I would like to congratulate Aditi for her four amazing days and becoming the second winner."

The Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Open teed off a ground-breaking week for women’s sport in Abu Dhabi. The LET event is closely followed by the International Conference of Sports for Women, ICSW, a milestone event and internationally-recognised platform with a clear agenda at its heart: to inspire future generations by focusing attention on key topics that play a pivotal role in increasing female participation in sport.

ICSW will take place on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th November at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, welcoming a world-class line-up of panellists and speakers from the world of women’s sport.

Amongst the line-up of sporting pioneers are three Olympic medallists, the winner of 10 Special Olympics medals in seven separate disciplines, the founder of the internationally-acclaimed Beirut Marathon, the Head of Global Sponsorship Marketing at VISA, the youngest Arab to have conquered Mount Everest, the oldest record holder in international triathlon history, and a 14-time Muay Thai World Champion.

The Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Open is sponsored by the Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, TDIC, Al Masaood, Etihad Airways, Marriott Downtown Abu Dhabi and Omega.