19 October 2018: At the end of an eventful second round at the Qizhong Garden Golf Club in Shanghai, Aditi Ashok added a 73 to her first round 71 to stay even with the course. At the halfway stage of this LPGA event, Aditi is lying T30, exactly ten strokes adrift of the leader Sei Young Kim. The Korean took pole position with a second straight 67.
Danielle Kang and overnight leader Ariya Jutanugarn took the second spot with scores of 68 and 69 respectively, one behind Kim at 9-under. Sitting behind them are Brittany Lincicome, Brittany Altomare and Bronte Law at 7-under 137.
Aditi started her day with a bogey at the first hole. She made amends with a birdie at the par-4 fifth hole but ended up conceding some ground as she absorbed bogeys at the 6th and 8th.
After making the turn in 38 strokes, Aditi engaged in an absorbing battle with the Qizhong course, trading blows from the 11th hole. A birdie at the 12th was offset by a knock at the next. Aditi responded forcefully to card two consecutive birdies, but the course extracted one back at the 15th hole.
The back nine accounted for 35 strokes, enough to bring Aditi home at one over for the day and even through 36 holes.
Meanwhile, Kim is looking for her eighth LPGA victory and the second in China. “I felt pretty good today,” said the 25-year-old Kim. “I made four birdies in a row six through nine, and then made the huge big par putts on 10, 11, 12. And then I make several putts back nine, except that I’m very happy today play.”
“When I play well in China and the U.S. my thinking is pretty simple. When I’m thinking too much I play really bad. Last week I play in my country, I was too much thinking. I got pressure especially in my country. I too much wanted to win that tournament; that’s the reason why I played not good. This week I’m trying to empty my mind and then trying simple my mindset and then just go for it.”
Aditi will need a couple of good rounds this weekend to move up from her current 63rd position on the Race to CME Globe, the year-end spectacle that caps the LPGA season.
