Tokyo, Aug 7 (PTI) In any other tournament, Aditi Ashok would have gladly taken a fourth-place finish but this was the Olympics and the golfer said it is hard for her to be happy even though she produced the best ever performance by an Indian at the showpiece.

Overnight sole 2nd, Aditi finished fourth with a three-under 68 in the final round that left her 15-under 269 overall at the par-71 Kasumigaseki Country Club where world number one Nelly Korda of the USA took gold with a four-round total of 17-under 267.

Also Read | Aditi Ashok Finishes Fourth In Women’s Golf At Tokyo Olympics 2020, Misses Out On Medal After Close Finish.

"In any other tournament I would be really happy, but it's hard to be happy with fourth place. I played good and gave it my 100 per cent," she said.

The 23-year-old was not particularly happy with her final round show even though it was studded with five birdies against just two bogeys.

Also Read | Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Announces Rs 25 Lakh Cash Reward for Indian Women's Hockey Player Vandana Katariya.

"I was just missing so many fairways. The front nine I just hit one and the back nine I think I must have hit maybe three of four more.

"That was bad today, put me out of position. I couldn't get close to the flag," she rued.

But she is hopeful that her stellar performance would ignite unprecedented interest in the sport, which is perceived to be elitist.

"I wish I had a medal, but I hope everyone is still happy. Going into the round, I didn't think about it (people watching her on TV) too much," she said.

"Just having more top finishes, even if it's not exactly a podium finish, will maybe bring more support to the sport, (with) more kids picking it up. That helps build the game," she said.

Golf returned to Olympics in 2016 after over a 100-year gap and Aditi had competed at that edition, finishing tied 41st.

"Obviously, when I started golf, I never dreamt of contending at the Olympics. Golf wasn't even an Olympic sport.

"You just pick it up, work hard and have fun every day. And then sometimes you get here," she said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)