Aichi-Nagoya, 03 October (H.S.): India’s Pranavi Urse produced a remarkable performance on Saturday to create history by winning India’s first-ever Asian Games gold medal in women’s golf. Born in Mysuru, Pranavi entered the final round at the top of the leaderboard with a score of 15-under 195, holding a three-shot lead over Singapore’s Shannon Shuen Yin Tan. China’s Ruoning Yin was in third place.

However, the final round began on a difficult note for Pranavi. A triple bogey on the third hole put her lead under serious pressure. At the same time, Ruoning Yin carded a birdie, while Tan made two bogeys over the opening three holes. The developments brought the Chinese golfer firmly back into contention for the gold medal.

Pranavi, however, mounted an impressive comeback, making birdies on the sixth, 10th and 13th holes to regain the lead. She then maintained her composure under pressure to secure a historic gold medal for India.

Began Playing Golf at Six

Born on April 15, 2003, Pranavi started playing golf at the age of six. She developed an interest in the sport after watching her father and brother play at the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club in Mysuru.

Pranavi achieved several milestones at the junior and amateur levels. In 2018, she won several competitions, including the Singha World Junior Championship in Thailand and the All India Junior Girls Championship. After turning professional in 2020, she established herself on India’s domestic women’s professional golf circuit.

Established Herself on the International Stage

Pranavi represented India at the 2022 Asian Games, which were held in Hangzhou in 2023. She finished 13th in the women’s individual event and fourth in the team competition.

She subsequently became a regular participant on the Ladies European Tour and other international professional circuits. In 2024, she finished third at the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, which was her best result on the Ladies European Tour at the time. The same year, she also secured a joint-third-place finish at the Dormy Open Helsingborg.

Among Pranavi’s notable achievements is her victory at the 2025 IGPL Invitational in Mumbai. She became the first Indian woman to win a professional open-field tournament featuring both male and female players.

She also finished fourth at the 2025 Hero Women’s Indian Open, tied fifth at the 2025 Lacoste Ladies Open de France and tied fifth at the 2026 Dutch Ladies Open. During her first full season on the Ladies European Tour in 2024, she finished 17th in the season-long rankings.

Pranavi’s performance marks a historic milestone for Indian women’s golf and goes into the record books as India’s first gold medal in women’s golf at the Asian Games.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar