Solid start for Aditi Ashok at Evian, lies seventh after first round

Evian-les-Bains [France], July 12 (ANI): Aditi Ashok had one of her best starts in a Major as she started the 2025 Amundi Evian Championship with a card of 4-under 67k and was two off the lead after the first day, an official statement from the Ladies European Tour (LET) said.
Aditi, playing her 35th Major - the highest by any Indian golf man or woman - had four birdies in the first 11 holes and then had one bogey and one bogey on the 13th and 14th before closing with four pars, the statement added.
Aditi birdied the first, seventh and ninth to turn in 3-under and then added a fourth birdie on the 11th. She had one more birdie on the 14th, but before that dropped her lone bogey of the day.
A year ago, Aditi, fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, finished T-17 at Evian Championships, which was her best finish in a Major.
Diksha Dagar just missed making the draw but will play at the AIG Women's Open later this month.
Further, as per LET, Aditi was two shots behind the five leaders, Ireland's Leona Maguire, American duo Jennifer Kupcho and Andrea Lee, Australia's Gabriela Ruffels and Grace Kim, who shared the lead on day one after carding six-under-par (65) each at the picturesque Evian Resort Golf Club.
Maguire delivered an impressive performance for her opening round, highlighted by a hole-in-one at the par-3 second hole using an 8-iron. The LET winner, who plays on both the LPGA and LET, dropped her only shot of the day on the 10th, but made up for it with five birdies across her round.
America's Lee carded seven birdies across the first 18 holes to also finish the round six-under-par.
Ruffels carded a bogey-free 66 that featured six birdies. Fellow Aussie Kim went bogey-free for the first 18 holes, carding seven birdies to her name to join the lead on day one.
Kupcho, who started the day on the 10th tee, finished up her last two holes with a birdie and an eagle to make it also six-under par, and join the leaders, the statement said.
A total of nine players sit in a tie for seventh place, all firing opening rounds of four under par. South Africa's Casandra Alexander, Germany's Helen Briem, America's Nelly Korda, Japan's Ayaka Furue, India's Aditi Ashok, Korean duo Hye-Jin Choi and Somi Lee, Japan's Mao Saigo, and China's Mary Liu are only a further shot back.(ANI)