Women's Golf Association of India

Pranavi takes lead on ‘Moving Day’ as India are also second in team race for medals at Asiad golf

V Krishnaswamy in Nagoya

Nagoya, Japan, Oct 02: Trailing by two shots after two days, India’s Pranavi Urs made a big leap on the third day, traditionally called the ‘moving day’ in golf, to take a three-shot lead at the Asian Games golf competition. She shot 4-under 66 to move to 15-under and leads overnight leader Shannon Tan (71) and four clear of China Yin Ruoning (66), a Major winner in 2023.

Clear by two shots when the final group came to the 18th, Pranavi delivered a great second shot to inside eight feet and holed it for her fifth and final birdie and moved three ahead. She had just one bogey on the 14th at the Par-70 Kasugai Country Club East Course.

Pranavi’s superb effort over the last three days, also put the Indian women’s team comprising Pranavi (66-63-66), Aditi Ashok (71-74-70) and Diksha Dagar (71-73-71) in the second place, four shots behind the Chinese, who total of two-best scores on each of the three days is 405. India have cumulative score of 409 and Hong Kong is at 411.

For now, though, India has both an individual leader and a team sitting second. After three days of golf in Nagoya, the country has given itself two genuine opportunities to add to its Asian Games medal tally.

For the second successive Asian Games an Indian woman will hold the 54-hole lead at the Asian Games. Aditi Ashok did so in Hangzhou in 2023. Despite taking a seven-shot lead into the final round last time in China, Aditi crashed to a 77 on the final day and ended second with a silver. The team finished fourth and Aditi’s silver is the only women’s golf medal won by India.

Pranavi is the only Indian woman golfer to have won a mixed pro event, which she did at the IGPL Invitational Mumbai last year, was happy with her showing, but smiled and said, “Wish I could have holed more putts in the back nine. Hopefully I'm saving them for tomorrow. Overall, it was pretty solid from Tee to green. I just didn't hit a lot of bad shots.”

Pranavi, who is supported by Hero, has been knocking on the doors of a LET win and when asked if Asian Games could get her the much-deserved win, she added, “I hope so. That's all I can hope for. I am just gonna take it shot by shot. The result is not in my control anyway.

“Today I was just focussed on my game. Just played my game and stuck to my game plan. As for (my) improving and maturing, I would like to think so. It's been three years on the (LET) Tour and obviously, I haven't won yet, and I'm still knocking on the door to get my first win, Hopefully I get that soon.”

Things did not go great for the men’s team, though Veer Ahlawat brought home a card of 5-under 65 with four birdies on the back nine. His rounds have been 71-68-65 for a 6-under total.

“I have played well on the second nine on all three days,” said the lanky Veer Ahlawat, who is also looking at the DP World India Championships later this month. Ahlawat’s 65 helped him force his way into Top-10 at tenth spot, while Saptak Talwar (66-68-71) at 5-under total was 11th. Yuvraj Sandhu (71-69-71) was 1-over and T-23.

In the team competition, for which the top scores each day are counted, the Indian men are 11-under and in sixth place.

Pranavi began the day with a flourish with two birdies in the first three holes as her rival Shannon dropped a shot. The deficit of two was now an advantage of one for the Indian. Then Tan, playing with Pranavi, dropped a shot on the fifth and the Indian birdied the eighth to go three-up at the turn. A bogey for Tan on the 10th meant the gap became four. All along Pranavi was steady, hitting well and putting well, though on an occasion or two, a makeable putt did not fall.

Then came the twist as Tan, a two-time Ladies European Tour winner, fought back with three birdies in a row from the 11th to the 13th. The stretch saw Shannon Tan play aggressively and reap benefits. Pranavi managed only one birdie on the 13th meaning the gap was down to two.

Both players dropped shots on the 14th and Pranavi holed a tense 14-footer for par on the 15th. Pars for both followed on the 16th as the tension became visible on their faces but not the game. Then Pranavi nailed a final birdie on the 18th for a 66 and a three-shot lead.

Chasing Pranavi and Tan is the pedigreed Chinese Yin Ruoning, who turned 24 four days ago. Playing alongside Pranavi and Tan, Yin, a 6-time LPGA winner including the 2023 Women’s KPMG PGA Championship, played bogey free and stayed in the hunt. With birdies on the first, seventh, 13th and the 16th she was one behind Tan and three behind Pranavi after three days.

The men’s individual competition is being led by Tom Kim of Korea (66-67-65) at 12-under is one shot ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei Hsuan (65-66-68) and Japan’s Kazuki Higa (65-67-67) at 11-under.

The big incentive for Kim, who flew in straight from the President’s Cup in Medinah, US, is that a gold medal could get him an exemption from a two-year Military Service, which is otherwise mandatory for all men.

Kim did not wish to speak about it and stayed focused on the event, as he carded (67-66-65) in his three rounds. Korea also leads the men’s team event as Kim attempts a golden double.

Japan, who have Keita Nakajima and Kazuki Higa in their squad, are second and China with Ding Wenyi are third.