Aditi Ashok and Sharmila Nicollet play the Shoprite LPGA Classic

May 31, 2017: Aditi Ashok and Sharmila Nicollet are all set to represent India in the Shoprite LPGA Classic. The tournament will be played from 2nd June at the Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey.

Aditi is in her rookie season on the LPGA and is getting progressively better as she gains experience of playing on the prestigious tour. The teenaged Indian golfer put in a good show in the LPGA Volvik Championship, where she finished at T-65th, with a score of 1 under par.

Out of the five events she has entered this season, Aditi made the cut in four of them, building up momentum in her quest for a good season.

Her best performance this year came at the ANA Inspiration, where she finished T-42nd. It was a stellar effort from Aditi, playing in one of the biggest women’s events.

The event though will be remembered for the four-stroke penalty on Lexi Thompson after a TV viewer called in LPGA authorities for a reported misplaced ball on the green by her.

Aditi is currently ranked 97th on the LPGA Tour. Given her brilliant season on the Ladies European Tour, she will be hoping for some substantive performances over the next few weeks to improve her stature on the LPGA.

The other intriguing story this week is of Sharmila Nicollet. The lady from Bengaluru is playing this week after winning a three way twitter battle for a spot in the event.

She had Blair O’ Neal, Scotland’s Carly Booth, and Bolivia’s Susan Benavides as her competitors on that twitter poll. Sharmila won with 39% of the total votes, with Blair O’Neal coming second at 30%.

Shoprite Classic is an LPGA event played over 54-holes. The event was founded in 1986 and is played at the Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey. The tournament offers $1.5 million as the prize fund.

By Anand Datla with inputs from Amit Pandey