Golfer Pranavi Urs takes sole lead in pursuit of Asian Games gold

India’s women’s team is in second place with a total of 409, four shots behind China (405)

India’s Pranavi Urs returned a superb four-under 66 in the third round to take a three-stroke lead and place herself in strong contention for an individual gold medal at the Asian Games women’s golf competition here on Friday.

The 23-year-old from Mysore, who is making her Games debut, has a total of 15-under 195, which is three shots clear of Shannon Tan of Singapore, who stumbled to a one-over 71 in the third round to lose the lead position that she held overnight.

A stroke adrift of Shannon was China’s Yin Ruoning. She signed on a flawless four-under 66 for a total of 11-under 199.

Pranavi’s card was studded with five birdies against a solitary bogey that she dropped on the par-four 14th hole. She played out a blemish-free front nine, picking up shots on the first, third and eighth holes. Her other two birdies came on the 13th and 18th holes.

It was a big third-day leap, traditionally called the ‘moving day’ in golf, and it put the Indian women’s team, comprising Pranavi (66-63-66), Aditi Ashok (71-74-70) and Diksha Dagar (71-73-71), in second place, four shots behind the Chinese.

China’s total of the best two scores on each of the three days is 405. India has a cumulative score of 409, and Hong Kong is at 411.

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 India’s only women’s golf medal.

Pranavi, who 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 had a few regrets too.