Aditi Ashok. Filepic.
Naples, Florida, Nov 18: Aditi Ashok dropped two bogeys against three birdies in a modest round of 1-under as she was placed T-44 at the midway stage of the CME Group Tour Championship. Aditi, who is placed 40th on the Race to CME Rankings, the Order of Merit for LPGA shot 2-under 70 in the first round. She slipped 12 places from overnight T-32.
Aditi, who came close to her maiden LPGA win earlier this season, had a great first half in 2023, which also included a win on the Ladies European Tour, has not been able to replicate that form. Currently ranked in Top-60 of the world, she is however secure for the 2024 season.
Alison Lee and Nasa Hataoka lead after the second day with totals of 14-under 130 each. They will have a one-shot advantage over three players tied in third place, and a three-shot advantage over two players tied in sixth place.
Shooting a 64, Lee recently tied with Minjee Lee at the BMW Ladies Championship, where she ultimately lost to the Aussie after a one-hole playoff. After a bogey-free 66 on Thursday, Lee was sitting in a tie for fifth place but rose up the leaderboard.
One of the first-round leaders, Hataoka maintained her spot in first place after another round at Tiburón Golf Club. Hataoka, an Olympian, was one-under for the front nine, and then made three birdies in her first five holes on the back nine, including Nos. 10, 12 and 14. She capped off her round with a pair of birdies on holes 17 and 18 to move into a share of the lead alongside Lee.
Three players sit in a tie for third behind the leaders including Amy Yang (63), M. Lee (67) and Ruoning Yin (68).
