Pranavi Urs fires 66 as India post mixed Asian Games day

Pranavi Urs made a fast start to the Asian Games women’s golf competition on Wednesday, shooting a four-under 66 to move into second place in the individual standings at Kasugai Country Club. India also received a strong men’s individual showing from Saptak Talwar, but endured a difficult day across cycling and canoeeing events.

Urs finished the opening round three shots behind Singapore’s Shannon Tan, who led the women’s field after a nine-under 63. Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar both returned one-over 71s and were tied for 18th, leaving India on three-under in the women’s team competition. With the best two individual scores counting for the team total, India stood tied sixth.

Golf gives India early contenders

Urs’s 66 was the standout Indian score in the women’s event and put her in position near the top of the individual leaderboard after the opening day. Tan’s 63 gave Singapore the early individual and team advantage, with Singapore leading the women’s team standings on eight-under.

Korea, China and Chinese Taipei were tied second in the team competition on four-under, while India’s three-under total placed them in a tie for sixth. The format means Urs’s low round, together with one of India’s other scores, formed the team tally.

India had another player in contention in the men’s competition as Talwar carded a four-under 66 to sit tied third. He was one shot behind the co-leaders, Japan’s Kazuki Higa and Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-Hsuan.

Talwar’s round featured five birdies, though a late bogey prevented an even stronger finish. The PGTI Order of Merit leader was making his Asian Games debut after missing out in 2022-23 and said he was pleased to finally get the opportunity.

Yuvraj Sandhu and Veer Ahlawat each posted 71 in the men’s competition. India were tied fifth in the men’s team standings, with Talwar’s opening score providing the principal lift to the side’s early position.

Cycling and canoeing deliver contrasting outcomes

India’s cyclists faced a tougher schedule. Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam and David Beckham Elkatohchoongo both came through qualifying in the men’s sprint, but neither progressed beyond the 1/16 finals. Both riders subsequently finished second in their respective repechage heats.

In the women’s keirin, Sarita Kumari placed fifth in her heat and Keerthi Chikka Rangaswamy finished fourth in hers. Neither rider advanced from the event.

Canoeing brought both a final appearance and further disappointment. Pradhyumna Singh Rathod finished sixth in the men’s single kayak final with a score of 125.21. Hitesh Kewat did not qualify for the final.

In the women’s canoe single, Pallavi Jagtap was disqualified in the final after receiving a 10-second time penalty. Rina Sen also did not make the final. The day therefore left India with leading golf performances to build on, alongside results in cycling and canoeeing that ended before the medal contests or final stages.