Pranavi leads after Day 3, India eye medals

Kasugai Indian golfer Pranavi Urs moved to the top of the women’s individual stroke play standings after Day 3 of the Asian Games golf event at the Kasugai Country Club East Course on Friday. Pranavi carded a four-under 66, featuring five birdies and a bogey, to take her total to 15-under after three rounds. She moved up from second place and now holds a strong position heading into the final day. Singapore’s Shannon Tan is second at 12-under, while China’s Ruoning Yin is third at 11-under. Pranavi has a nine-stroke advantage over fourth-placed Sophie Han of Hong Kong, who is six-under. She will aim to maintain her lead on the final day and secure a medal for India. The situation also serves as a reminder of the importance of the final round, with Aditi Ashok having led after three days before finishing with a silver medal. Diksha Dagar and Aditi Ashok endured another difficult round and remained joint 18th at five-over 215 in the individual competition. India also improved its position in the women’s team event, moving from third to second after recording a four-under 136 on Day 3. The team has a combined score of 11-under 409 after three rounds, behind China at 15-under. Hong Kong is third at nine-under, while Chinese Taipei is fourth. The Indian men, meanwhile, slipped further in the team standings. India dropped from fifth to sixth after another challenging day. Veer Ahlawat climbed to 10th individually after shooting a five-under 65, taking his three-round total to six-under 204. Saptak Talwar fell to 11th with a total of six-under 205. He had started strongly, finishing joint third after the opening round with a four-under 66, before dropping to joint seventh after two rounds. India will look to improve its position on the final day.