Kolkata: Aditi Ashok, the 23-year-old Indian women’s golfer who captured the imagination of a cricket-crazy nation with her fourth place finish at the Tokyo Olympics against a rich field, got a major sponsorship boost to fuel her dreams when she signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyundai Motor India Ltd. As part of the association as sponsors, Hyundai will work closely with Aditi - a member of the LPGA Tour.
“It is a moment of great pride for us to announce this association with Ms. Aditi Ashok, one of the youngest and finest golfer player in India today,” Seon Seob Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited said in a release.
“Our association with Ms. Aditi Ashok reflects our brand’s vision to inspire people, especially women in sports to be their true self and stand by their choices.”
Aditi, no stranger to the golfing circles in the UAE, will be seen as a brand ambassador and will be representing Hyundai at national and international sports tournaments and championships. HMIL’s partnership with Aditi will be visible through the logo on her jersey which will be used in major tournaments.
Tokyo was memorable outing for the Indian contingent as they returned with their highest medal tally with seven medals, Aditi’s fourth place heartbreak was a remarkable one given the depth of the field. In a recent interview, she said that her stint at the LPGA made a big difference to her approach: “That (playing in LPGA) was the big difference in Tokyo. In the LPGA, I spent several seasons playing against the top 100 golfers every week,” she said, before adding: “It conditioned my game and made me a much better player from Rio 2016.”
“I know finishing fourth isn’t great when they give out three medals,” she said, adding: “But it was still good to be part of a world class field and hold my own.”
“She’s given hope to not just the women, but every golfer to go out there and become champions. Her performance in the Olympics has opened up a lot of doors and dreams for Indian golfers.” said Jeev Milkha Singh, a veteran of the European Tour.
