'First will always be the first': Pranavi Urs reflects on historic Asian Games Golf gold
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'First will always be the first': Pranavi Urs reflects on historic Asian Games Golf gold")
Pranavi Urs Photograph: (AFP)
Pranavi Urs made history by becoming India’s first individual gold medallist in golf at the Asian Games.
Pranavi Urs added another milestone to her growing list of achievements on Saturday (Oct 3), becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual golf gold medal at the Asian Games, a year after making history as the first woman to claim an IGPL title in a mixed professional field.
Pranavi handled the pressure brilliantly and overcame a tense final round at Kasugai Country Club East to win the gold by one stroke and finished with an even-par 70 for a total of 15-under 265, one shot ahead of China’s Yin Ruoning and Singapore’s Shannon Tan, who both finished at 14-under.
Yin, a six-time LPGA winner and world No. 6, eventually claimed silver in a play-off. She had started the final round four shots behind Pranavi but moved ahead after the Indian golfer made a triple bogey on the third hole. Yin had already picked up birdies on the second and fourth holes.
Pranavi admitted she had barely slept the previous night and was nervous at the start. However, instead of letting the setback affect her, she drew inspiration from two of her favourite golfers, Rory McIlroy and Nelly Korda, and began her comeback.
She birdied the sixth hole before picking up another birdie on the 10th to draw level with Yin. Her biggest moment came on the 13th, when her birdie putt appeared to circle the edge of the hole before dropping in.
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That birdie moved Pranavi back to 15-under and gave her the lead again. She then produced five straight pars to secure the gold and make history.
Even after finishing the final hole, Pranavi did not immediately realise that she had won.
“I just knew it was either a putt to win or it was a putt to force a playoff,” she said. “All I wanted to do was obviously hole the putt.”
The victory adds another major achievement to Pranavi’s growing career. Her IGPL title was important because she defeated a mixed professional field and became the first woman to win the tournament and now, she has another unique achievement in Indian golf history.
Speaking about becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games golf gold, Pranavi said, “That’s always the goal - to always be the first one to do anything. The first will always be the first, and I’ve always had that motto growing up and I’m just glad I could do it. So yeah, like I said, IGPL was good, but this gold beats it.”
Aditi Ashok had won India’s first women’s individual golf medal at the previous Asian Games, taking silver. Pranavi went one better in Nagoya by becoming the first Indian woman to win gold in the event.
Her victory also ended India’s 24-year wait for an individual golf gold at the Asian Games. Shiv Kapur had won the men’s individual title in 2002, while Lakshman Singh had claimed India’s first men’s individual golf gold in 1982.
Pranavi now has her sights set on another major target. She currently plays on the Ladies European Tour and is still searching for her first title after coming close on several occasions.
The Asian Games triumph could give her extra confidence ahead of the Hero Women’s Indian Open later this month.
For Pranavi, breaking barriers has become a clear theme in her career. After making history at the IGPL, she has now done the same at the Asian Games. Her next target is the LET title.
“Maybe I will get it soon,” Pranavi Urs added.
With inputs from agencies