Aditi Ashok turned heads on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, exploding for a 6-under 66 in round two to join world No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul in tied third. The Indian star’s hot streak has her rubbing shoulders with the likes of Carias Davidsson, Nelly Korda, Hae-Jin Choi, Minjee Lee, and Jin Hee Im at T3.
After an even-par opener, Ashok wasted no time, stringing together birdies on holes 3-6 and another on eight for a front-nine 5-under blitz. A back-nine bogey on 13 was her only blemish, offset by birdies on 11 and 18 for the flawless round.
Hyo Joo Kim solidified her lead with a gritty 2-under 70, now four clear of Gaby Lopez at 11-under total. Lopez holds second at 7-under after matching Kim’s 70 on day two.
Over at the Valspar Championship, Aaron Rai’s promising start fizzled. His first-round 68 earned top-10 honors, but a disastrous 77—with seven bogeys, a double, and just two birdies—sent him packing at 3-over.
Sahith Theegala couldn’t recover from his opening 77, grinding out a 72 to finish 6-over and miss the cut. In contrast, Sungjae Im commands the men’s leaderboard at 9-under (64-70), edging David Lipsky by one stroke. Doug Ghim and rookie Chandler Blanchett share T3 at 7-under.
Viktor Hovland, the two-time Valspar defending champ, faltered again, missing cut in consecutive years—his first such miss since the 2025 Players. Ashok’s surge offers a bright spot for Indian golf fans amid the mixed results.
