“A lot of non-golfers don’t know what the sport means or what it is. And they all just think that it’s a rich man’s sport. In reality, it really isn’t.”Pranavi Urs, the 23-year-old from Mysuru, has just returned from the Asian Games as the first Indian woman to win an individual golf gold. The medal has changed her place in Indian golf, but she is more interested in what it can do for the sport itself.“I think any medal for golf at this point in the golfing world is great for India. So I think any medal, whether it’s on the men’s side or the women’s side, would have brought a lot more attention to the sport, which obviously, at the end of the day, is the goal for us – to give back to the sport and kind of make it global and grow it in India,” she told Timesofindia.com from Mysuru.“Because I feel like in India, it’s definitely picked up in the last few years, but it’s not where it should be. And I think getting this gold home, or even the silver, I think is a good step and it’s heading in the right direction.”
Women’s golf in India : Pranavi Urs wants more attention
That is a bigger ambition than the medal sitting in her collection. And Pranavi sees the women’s game as an important part of it. “I think the girls are doing far better than the guys globally. Four or five years ago, there were only one or two girls on the LET (Ladies European Tour), with full status. Now there are five of us.“So I think to just go out there and tell everyone and make a statement that the girls are good, and that we’re better than the guys, and bring a lot more attention towards women’s sports in India; and it doesn’t have to be golf.”
I feel like in this Asian Games, women in sport have done a lot better than the guys. And it just shows that girls don’t just sit at home.
Her own career offers an example of that progress. In December 2025, Pranavi became the first Indian woman to win a professional open-field tournament against male golfers when she won the IGPL Invitational Mumbai. She shot a bogey-free 8-under 60 in the final round and won by two strokes.Pranavi’s Asian Games campaign also brought a team silver, with Aditi and Diksha Dagar joining her on the podium in the women’s event. Aditi had won individual silver at Hangzhou in 2023, becoming the first Indian golfer to win an Asian Games medal. She was also the first Indian to win on the Ladies European Tour, has five LET titles, has played at three Olympics and finished fourth at Tokyo, one shot off the medals.
Aditi Ashok ‘s influence and the support behind Pranavi Urs
For Pranavi, Aditi has been a reference point since she was a junior. “Aditi is on a different level. She’s my senior. I’ve looked up to her since I was a little kid, since I was a junior. We have quite similar careers, apart from the fact that I haven’t won on the LET yet. She’s still the greatest golfer in India.”Pranavi’s own career began much earlier, at a golf course in Mysuru when she was six. The route since then has taken her through junior golf, the professional ranks and the LET with support around her through all of it.
Gold medallists China’s Yan Liu, Zhang Weiwei and Yin Ruoning celebrate during the women’s team medal ceremony along with silver medallists India’s Pranavi Urs, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar and bronze medallists Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun, Ya-ni Tseng and Hsu Wei-ling REUTERS/Andy Chua
“I think I wouldn’t have done it without my family. My family has been my biggest support. I’ve got a really good support system. I have my coach, my S&C coach, my psychologist, my physio. So I’ve got a really strong base, and I can lean on them whenever I need to. We’ve got a really good bond. Everyone gets along really well. So I think I’ve achieved what I’ve achieved because of my family and my support system.”That support is what she points to when asked about the next generation, rather than rankings or prize money. “I just want young girls to pick up a sport, love it, enjoy it, and have fun with it.”
I didn’t grow up playing golf because I wanted fame or money. I play golf because I love the sport. And money and fame is just a bonus.
The money has, nevertheless, become hard to miss after the 2026 Games. Karnataka Govt. announced ₹1 crore for her individual gold and ₹75 lakh for the team silver. The IGPL announced another ₹1 crore for the individual gold, while the Indian Golf Union also announced a reward.For a young golfer looking at what is possible in the sport, Pranavi believes the rewards can be an incentive too. “For someone who thinks like make money or X, Y and Z … if that motivates them, then sure, so be it. I’m very happy that it’s all out there in public for people to see what they can get if they achieve something. So let them be motivated by that. I think each to their own, right? I feel like everybody has a different goal and why they play the sport.“
Mysuru rolled out a grand welcome for its golden girl Pranavi Urs on Wednesday, celebrating her historic Asian Games golf triumph with a felicitation and colourful procession through the city
The triple bogey that tested Pranavi Urs in Nagoya
For all the attention that came after the gold, the medal itself was in serious doubt on the third hole of the final round. Pranavi had started the day with a three-shot lead. A triple bogey on the third wiped it out.“I think I lost my lead, which was unfortunate, not because of a bad shot, but I just got unlucky on the third. It was out of my control where the ball ended up and what happened.”She was one shot behind by the fourth, but her response was not to start chasing every lost shot. “I was like, ‘You know what, it’s fine. You’ve hit rock bottom.’ I was one back on the fourth hole. And I was like, ‘You always love chasing. You’ve already hit rock bottom. Just play fearless and you can do it.'”There was – she remembered – another golfer, a certain Rory McIlroy, who had been in a similar position.
I did think about Rory because he had a bad start at the Masters when he won it for the first time. And I was like, ‘If he can do it, so can you.’ So, you know, just keep at it. Just stick to your process.
The process, she kept coming back to, was simple: stay patient. “There was not a single moment when I didn’t think I was not going to win. You just keep doing what you have to do, stick to your process, and just be patient, because it’s 18 holes. If I didn’t win on the third hole after what happened, that’s fine. It’s 18 holes.”She eventually finished with a 70 for a 15-under 265, one shot clear of China’s Yin Ruoning, a former world No. 1 and winner of the 2023 Women’s PGA Championship, and Singapore’s Shannon Tan, who plays on the Ladies European Tour.
India’s Pranavi Urs in action during the women’s individual stroke play final REUTERS/Andy Chua
“All I wanted to do was obviously hole the [final] putt. I don’t remember most of it. I was just in the flow. I remember every shot, but I don’t remember it as much as I remember the last part, because obviously there are videos and stuff now.”And the ability to stay in that flow was something Pranavi learned by spending the last three years playing on the LET, moving between countries, courses and conditions. The travel itself has become part of the job.“I think I’m more experienced now because I play in Europe. It’s different conditions week in, week out. You’ve got jet lag, you’ve got different places, different rooms. You’ve just got to go with the flow. Just going with the flow and adapting to whatever comes your way – whether it’s nervousness or anything – just being able to deal with it and move on.”
From Asian Games gold to the search for an LET title
At the 2023 Asian Games, Pranavi finished 13th individually, and the Indian women’s team finished fourth. And that is where much of the difference between Hangzhou and Nagoya lies for her. “It’s a mental sport. You’ve got to stay focused, you’ve got to stay patient.”“And, like I said, just kind of preparing yourself week in, week out and travelling around the world, fighting jet lag, fighting being homesick and all of that has helped me grow into a better person and a better golfer.” she added.
India’s Pranavi Urs celebrates after winning the women’s individual stroke play gold medal and women’s team silver medal with Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar REUTERS/Andy Chua
Now, the one thing still missing from her professional record is an LET title. She has had several high finishes in Europe, but no victory yet. “Every golfer has their doubts. If you’re not winning, you’re like, ‘Will I ever win?'”, said Pranavi, but Aichi-Nagoya has given her belief that she will eventually win.“I beat a world No. 6, so if I can do that, I can win on the LET. Just be patient, keep doing what I’m doing, and eventually I will win. Every golfer goes to win. You give 100%, 200%. That’s why golfers go to win. Eventually, I will win.”And then there is one small matter of one more first that she wants.“An Olympic gold.”
