With a series of recent top 10 finishes at Ladies European Tour in her kitty, young Indian golfer Aditi Ashok is hoping to come up with a good finish at the Hero women's India Open which tees off at the picturesque DLF Golf and Country Club on November 7.
"Having played the Indian Open as an amateur for the last 5 years I am so excited to play my home event for the first time as a professional," said Aditi, who is currently competing at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi.
"DLF Golf and Country Club has been home to the championship for a long time and I have played the new layout last year so I am looking forward to playing the Hero Women's Indian Open 2016.
"I have had some good finishes on the Ladies European Tour in the past few weeks so I'm looking to do well in my home event too," added the Bangalore golfer, who was in contention for a medal after first two days at her maiden Olympics at Rio de Janeiro.
Defending champion Emily Kristine Pedersen is also looking forward to a good week at the Hero Women's Indian Open, now in its 10th year.
"I expect it to be nothing less than last year. I am looking forward to some new challenges on the course," she said.
"Last year the key was hitting it straight, but I don't know what is going to be the key this time as I don't know the changes yet, but I think the key is to hit the fairway and hit the greens and hole the putts."
Asked about her plans post the event, Emily said: "After the Indian Open, I am going to Spain to practise and post that I'm going for the final stage of the LPGA Q School in Dubai."
On Aditi Ashok, Emily said: "Aditi has had a very good year and she is a very talented young golfer. We are looking forward to seeing a lot more of her."
The USD 400,000 event will also see the likes of Caroline Hedwall of Sweden, who had clinched the title in 2011, and American Beth Allen, who claimed her first professional title at the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters.
Both of them had some good things to say about Aditi.
Caroline said: "I haven't played with her, but I have heard a great deal about her. Obviously she is a great talent and has put in a lot of hard work and if she can keep it going, she can definitely make it big."
Beth also lavished praise on the Indian, saying Aditi could become the rookie of the year.
"I was fortunate enough to play with Aditi very early in the year in Australia and I was impressed with her game and her demeanor on the course," she said.
"Since then she has had a fantastic season and is in the running for rookie of the year so that would be a great achievement.
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