Asian Games 2026: Pranavi Urs leads golf by three shots, eyes India's first women's gold

After a path-breaking IGPL win in 2025, Pranavi is one round from Asian Games history

Pranavi Urs is just 18 holes away from a piece of Asian Games history that Indian women’s golf has been waiting for.

The 23-year-old from Mysuru will carry a three-shot lead into Saturday’s final round at Kasugai Country Club, knowing that victory would make her the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games golf gold medal.

After rounds of 66-63-66 she is 15-under and three shots ahead of two-time Ladies European Tour winner, Shannon Tan, who won the Hero Women’s Indian Open last year. She is trailed by the same Tan, who is at 12-under, and China Yin Ruoning, a six-time LPGA winner and a major champion at the 2023 PGA Championships, who is 11-under.

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Pranavi’s effort has also given the Indian women’s team, which includes Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar, both of whom have won LET titles, a chance for another medal. The team is lying second behind China.
Pranavi has already shown that she is comfortable breaking barriers. Last year, at the IGPL Invitational Mumbai, she became the first Indian woman to win a professional tournament played in a mixed field, taking on leading Indian men and finishing the job with a spectacular bogey-free 8-under 60. She won at 14-under, two shots clear of Karandeep Kochhar, in what was her IGPL debut.

That experience of competing directly against strong male professionals may have been more than just another title. Though IGPL is not her main Tour, it gave Pranavi the opportunity to play in an environment where there was no separate conversation about women’s golf only scores, birdies and the leaderboard.

She has herself spoken about the confidence that comes from competing against better players and also playing leading men golfers in India, while her Ladies European Tour experience has exposed her to different courses, conditions and some of the best players in the world.

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Now that breadth of experience is showing in Japan.

Pranavi has been remarkably steady through three rounds, opening with a 66 before following it with a brilliant 63 and another 66 on Friday. Her 15-under 192 gives her a three-shot cushion over the field.

After three rounds, Pranavi has put herself in control, but the gold medal is still to be earned.

There is also a sense that this is another step in a progression rather than a sudden breakthrough. Pranavi has been knocking on the door of a Ladies European Tour victory, with several strong finishes showing that she possesses the game to contend at that level. She has spoken of coming close on the LET and believes it is a matter of staying patient and positive before the breakthrough arrives.

The Asian Games, however, offer a different kind of opportunity.

Aditi Ashok’s silver medal at Hangzhou remains the only women’s golf medal won by India at the Asian Games. Aditi had led going into the final round there before finishing second, while the Indian team missed the podium.

Pranavi now has the chance to go one better and to create a milestone that would resonate well beyond golf

She has already shown she can win against men. She has already shown she can contend internationally. On Saturday, she gets the chance to turn those experiences into India’s first Asian Games women’s golf gold.

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