Pranavi starts well to lie 2nd and Talwar is 3rd among men in Asian Games golf

Nagoya: Pranavi Urs produced the standout performance for India on the opening day of golf at the Asian Games, firing a sparkling four-under-par 66 to take sole possession of second place, while Saptak Talwar matched her score to sit tied third in the men’s competition at Kasugai Country Club.

Pranavi, competing in her second Asian Games, was three shots behind Singapore’s Shannon Tan, who stormed into the lead with a brilliant nine-under 63. Talwar, meanwhile, was just one shot off the men’s lead shared by Japan’s Kazuki Higa and Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei Hsuan, who carded five-under 65s.

The opening day offered a welcome change for the golfers after almost a week of incessant rain and soggy conditions in Nagoya. The Kasugai Country Club East Course, however, remained a demanding test, with soft greens and tight fairways placing a premium on accuracy.

Pranavi, who is backed by Hero, started her round from the 10th tee and made an early bogey but responded impressively. She produced three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the 12th to the 15th and then added two more birdies on her second nine, at the fifth and eighth holes, to complete a highly encouraging 66.

Her round put her in a potentially fascinating battle with Tan, a fellow Ladies European Tour player. The two could meet again soon on Indian soil, with Pranavi set to defend her Hero Women’s Indian Open title later next month.

Pranavi has also enjoyed a breakthrough period in Indian professional golf. Late last year, she became the first Indian woman to win a mixed professional event when she prevailed against a field featuring several of India’s leading men professionals at the IGPL Invitational in Mumbai.

Tan, meanwhile, was in devastating form. She made nine birdies against just two bogeys to take a three-shot lead and put Singapore in a commanding position in the team competition.

India's other two women, 2023 Asian Games silver medallist Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar, both carded one-over 71s and were tied 18th. Aditi's round was marked by a dramatic combination of five birdies and two triple bogeys, one on each nine, while Diksha made two birdies and three bogeys.

With the best two individual scores counting towards the team competition, India finished the opening day at three-under and tied sixth. Singapore led at eight-under, four shots clear of Korea, China and Chinese Taipei, who were all four-under.

In the men’s competition, Talwar underlined why he currently leads the DP World-PGTI Order of Merit with a composed four-under 66. He made five birdies and one late bogey to stay firmly in contention.

Talwar was particularly pleased to finally make his Asian Games appearance after missing out on the previous edition.

“Back in 2022-23, I was hoping to get to the Games but missed out. Now it is nice to be here,” he said.

Reflecting on his opening round, Talwar felt there was potential for an even lower score.

“I think for the first 12 holes, I felt like I should have been lower. I felt like I was hitting well, putting well, but I just kept over-reading some of the putts,” he said.

He also admitted to losing his rhythm off the tee and finding himself in difficult positions, including a plugged lie on the 14th, where he managed to escape with a bogey.

“But I'm pleased that I did not drop anything coming in. I am still in the run for the next few days,” he said.

Talwar, playing in Japan for the first time, also had the support of his sister, who travelled from Hong Kong.

“It's my first time to Japan, but the early feel was very European with the rain. It was not cold, but not very friendly golfing weather. But I'm glad we got that over in the practice rounds and the course is much more benign to what we saw the last couple of days,” he said.

He felt the course could suit the Indian contingent.

“It's a tight course. But it is a little more generous than some courses in India. It's obviously penal if you hit it wild, but small misses are not too penal, which I think the Indians would like,” Talwar said.

The Indian men, however, have ground to make up in the team event. Yuvraj Sandhu and Veer Ahlawat both returned one-over 71s to sit tied 23rd, leaving India tied fifth and six shots behind Japan.

Sandhu arrived in Nagoya directly after a strong T-13 finish in France last week and admitted that his preparation had been severely restricted.

“I came in straight from France, where I had a great week. But I had almost no practice here – just got in nine holes. Then we had pelting rain,” he said.

Despite hitting 16 greens, Sandhu had four three-putts, which he felt proved costly.

“Hopefully I can make up as there are three more days,” he added.

Japan’s challenge was spearheaded by the diminutive Higa, standing just 5-foot-2, who showed the experience that comes with having won both the Japan Tour and Asian Tour Order of Merit titles. He shared the lead after a controlled 65.

Chinese Taipei’s Wang was equally impressive. The 27-year-old, who turned 27 just three days ago, continued a strong run of form that has included victories on the Taiwan PGA, runner-up finishes on the Asian Development Tour and a fourth-place finish at the Yeangder TPC on the Asian Tour.

Wang remained bogey-free, making three birdies and an eagle on the par-four fifth.

Japan's Keita Nakajima, a former Hero Indian Open champion, joined Talwar, Korea's Doyeob Mun and China's Yunhe Zheng in a share of third place at 66.

With three rounds still to come, India remains within medal striking distance in both individual competitions, while Pranavi's opening round has given the women's team an early boost. For Talwar, the challenge now is to build on an impressive start and turn his first Asian Games appearance into a serious medal bid.

Tags : Pranavi Urs, Golf, Saptak Talwar, Asian Games, Nagoya