How Pranavi’s idol McIlroy helped her win Asian Games golf gold
Walking off the third hole at the Kasugai Country Club in Aichi last Saturday, all Pranavi Urs could think of was Rory McIlroy. She had just made a triple bogey, and with Singapore's Shannon Tan and China's...
Walking off the third hole at the Kasugai Country Club in Aichi last Saturday, all Pranavi Urs could think of was Rory McIlroy. She had just made a triple bogey, and with Singapore's Shannon Tan and China's Ruoning Yin closing in, the slip could've proved costly. McIlroy had recovered from a similarly poor start on the final day of Augusta Masters early this year to win his second green jacket in two years, and Pranavi hoped to take a cue from her golfing idol.
Pranavi Urs in action during the women's individual stroke play final at the Asian Games in Japan. (REUTERS) "It was pretty random, to be honest. On third hole, Rory was the one person I thought of. I told myself, if he can win the Masters after a terrible start, so can I," Pranavi said in an interaction facilitated by SAI.
Sure enough, the 23-year-old barely put a foot wrong thereafter, nailing three birdies and making pars on the rest to card 15-under 265 and become the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal. "It's a surreal feeling, and it's still sinking in. I hope it helps people stand up and take note of women's golf in India much like Aditi Ashok's fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics sparked an interest," she said.
"I have always looked up to Aditi. She is a friend and an inspiration. It was nice to have her around when I won.
I had manifested and visualised this moment for a while." And yet, when the moment did arrive, Pranavi was too engrossed to realise or celebrate. "I was so zoned it that I didn't know I was putting for the gold. I thought if I par, maybe I'll force a playoff.
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I didn't realise I had won until the girls (Aditi and Diksha Dagar) joined me on the green," she said. "That explains my tepid celebration. In my mind, I had played a number of celebrations so many times, but I couldn't come up with anything.” What she did come up with though was a composed game marked with precise iron play.
A case in point was the 18th hole on the final day when her tee shot landed to the right of the fairway, warranting an accurate approach shot. She swapped her 6 iron for a 7 iron, found the green and went on to two-putt for the top prize. "I changed my club on my second shot after I hit the drive on 18th.
I had a 6-iron, but I realised I was going through an adrenaline rush and had I used the 6 iron, I'd have gone over the green. I had to kind of keep the ball in play after the second shot to keep my chances alive. I chose a 7-iron and when it landed, that was one of the moments when I thought I might win a medal," said Pranavi, who trains under renowned Australian golf coach Steven Giuliano.
"Preparation is the key. I have been working on a few technical areas with Steven of late, and the results are beginning to show. Even when I was struggling on the third hole, I remembered I had played all these scenarios in my mind with my psychologist.
I lost the lead on the fourth hole and I'm someone who loves chasing. I told myself I have nothing to lose. I just stayed patient and did what I had to do." Breaking the Asiad glass ceiling has given Pranavi the belief to replicate the success on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and at the LA Olympics in 2028.
"My preparation will remain pretty much the same. I am going to play in LET, just keep doing what I am doing, the cut-off date is June 2028, I will be playing as many event as possible till and may be get a win from there.” The qualification period for women's golf at the LA28 Olympic Games officially began on June 8 this year and will conclude on June 5, 2028, with the final 60-player field to be determined by the OGR standings at the time of the deadline.
Currently 43rd on the LET Order of Merit, Pranavi has had some decent results on the tour of late, such as a tied-fifth at the Dutch Ladies Open this year and the fourth-place at the Hero Women's Indian Open (HWIO) last year. She believes the confidence that came with the Asiad win will help her end the wait for a LET win.
"I have come close a few times, and I do believe a win on the LET is round the corner. I was a much improved golfer from Hangzhou Asiad to this one, and I will be a better player after this experience.” Pranavi will be next in action at the 2026 edition of HWIO later this month in Gurugram, followed by a few events on the LET.
Supported by the government's TOP scheme, Pranavi benefitted from a spend of about ₹ 20 lakh towards her training in the just concluded Asian Games cycle.
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