EXCLUSIVE | ‘In reality, it really isn’t’: Asian Games gold medalist Pranavi Urs on golf as a ‘rich man’s sport’

India’s gold medalist Pranavi Urs celebrates during the individual shot put medal ceremony REUTERS/Andy Chua “A lot of non-golfers don’t know what the sport means or what it is. And everyone just thinks it’s a rich people’s sport. In reality, it really isn’t.”Pranavi Urs, a 23-year-old native of Mysuru, has just returned from the Asian Games as the first Indian woman to win an individual golf gold. The medal changed her place in Indian golf, but she is more interested in what she can do for the sport itself.“I think any medal for golf at this point in the golf world is great for India. So I think any medal, whether it’s on the men’s side or the women’s side, would bring a lot more attention to the sport, which is obviously our goal – to come back to the sport and make it global and grow it in India,” she told Timesofindia.com.“Because I feel like in India, it’s definitely picked up in the last few years, but it’s not where it needs to be. And I think getting that gold home, or even silver, I think is a good step and it’s going in the right direction.”

Women’s golf in India: Pranavi Urs wants more attention

This is a bigger ambition than the medals in her collection. And Pranavi sees the women’s game as an important part of it. “I think the girls are doing much better than the boys 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 I’m just going to go out there and tell everybody and say that girls are good and we’re better than boys and we’re going to bring a lot more attention to women’s sports in India; and it doesn’t have to be golf.”

I feel that in these Asian Games, women have fared much better than boys in sports. And it just goes to show that girls don’t just sit at home.

Her own career exemplifies this progression. In December 2025, Pranavi became the first Indian woman to win a professional open course tournament against male golfers when she won the IGPL Invitational Mumbai. She shot a bogey-free 8-under 60 in the final round to win by two shots.Pranavi’s Asian Games campaign also brought team silver, with Aditi and Diksha Dagar joining her on the podium in the women’s event. Aditi won individual silver in Hangzhou 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, played in three Olympics and finished fourth in Tokyo, a shot short of a medal.

Influence of Aditi Ashok and support of Pranavi Urs

For Pranavi, Aditi has been a point of reference since her youth. “Aditi is on a different level. She’s my senior. I’ve looked up to her since I was little, from junior. We’ve had quite similar careers, except I haven’t won the LET yet. She’s still the best female golfer in India.”Pranavi’s own career began much earlier, on a golf course in Mysore when she was six. The journey has since taken her through junior golf, the professional ranks and LET with support around it all.

China’s gold medalists Yan Liu, Zhang Weiwei and Yin Ruoning celebrate during the women’s team medal ceremony alongside India’s silver medalists Pranavi Urs, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar and Taiwan’s bronze medalists Chien Pei-yun, Ya-ni Tseng and Hsu Wei-ling REUTERS/Andy Chua.

“I don’t think I could have done it without my family. My family has been my biggest support. I have a really good support system. I have my coach, my S&C coach, my psychologist, my physical therapist. So I have a really strong base and I can lean on them whenever I need to. We have a really good bond. So they all get along really well. I think I’ve achieved what I’ve achieved because of my family.”This support is what he points to when they ask about the next generation, rather than rankings or rewards. “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 it. And the money and fame are just a bonus.

However, money is hard to come by after the 2026 Games. Government of Karnataka. she announced ₹1 million for her individual gold and ₹75 lakh for the team silver. The IGPL announced an additional ₹ 1 crore for an individual gold, while the Indian Golf Union also announced a bounty.For a young golfer looking at what’s possible in the sport, Pranavi believes the rewards can also be an incentive. “For someone who’s thinking like making money or X, Y and Z… if that’s what motivates them, then sure, so be it. I’m very happy that it’s all out in the open so people can see what they can get when they achieve something. So let them be motivated. I guess to each their own, right? I feel like everyone has a different goal and why they play the sport.”

Mysuru gave a grand welcome to its golden girl Pranavi Urs on Wednesday, celebrating her historic Asian Games golf triumph with felicitations and a colorful parade 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 seriously in doubt on the third hole of the final round. Pranavi started the day with a three shot lead. A triple bogey on the third wiped it out.“I think I lost the lead, which was unfortunate, not because of a bad shot, but I was just unlucky at third. It was out of my control where the ball ended up and what happened.”She was one shot behind in fourth, but her reaction wasn’t to chase every lost shot. “I was like, ‘You know what, that’s cool. You hit rock bottom.’ I was one back on the fourth hole. And I was like, ‘You always like to chase. You’ve already hit rock bottom. Just play fearlessly and you can do it.”She remembered that there was another golfer, one Rory McIlroy, who was in a similar position.

I was thinking about Rory because he had a bad start at the Masters when he won it the first time. And I thought, ‘If he can do it, you can do it.’ So you know, just hang in there. Just stick to your process.

The procedure she kept coming back to was simple: be patient. “There wasn’t a single moment where I didn’t think I wasn’t going to win. You just keep doing what you have to do, stick to your flow and be patient because it’s 18 holes. If I didn’t win on the third hole after what happened, that’s OK. It’s 18 holes.”She eventually finished with a 70-over 15-under 265, a shot ahead of China’s Yin Ruoning, the former world number one 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 stroke final REUTERS/Andy Chua

“All I wanted to do was hit the (final) putt, obviously. I don’t remember most of it. I was just in the flow. I remember every shot, but I don’t remember as much as I remember the last part, because now obviously there are videos and stuff.”And being able to stay in that flow has been something Pranavi has learned over the past three years playing at LET, moving between countries, pitches and conditions. Traveling itself has become part of the job.“I think I’m more experienced now because I’m playing in Europe. It’s different week to week. You have jet lag, you have different places, different rooms. You just have to go with the flow and adapt to whatever comes your way – whether it’s nervousness or whatever – just be able to deal with it and move on.”

From Asian Games gold to the pursuit of the LET title

At the 2023 Asian Games, Pranavi finished 13th individually and the Indian women’s team finished fourth. And that, for her, is the big difference between Hangzhou and Nagoya. “It’s a mental sport. You have to stay focused, you have to stay patient.”“And like I said, just kind of preparing week in and week out and traveling the world, fighting jet lag, fighting homesickness and all of that helped me grow into a better person and a better golfer.” she added.

India’s Pranavi Urs celebrates after winning the women’s individual gold medal and the women’s team silver medal with Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar REUTERS/Andy Chua

The only thing she is still missing from her professional record is the LET title. She has had several high placings in Europe, but no wins so far. “Every golfer has doubts. If you’re not winning, you think, ‘Will I ever win?'” Pranavi said, but Aichi-Nagoya gave her faith that she would eventually win.“I beat the world number six, so if I can do that, I can win for YEARS. Just be patient, keep doing what I’m doing and eventually I’ll win. Every golfer goes out to win. You give 100%, 200%. That’s why golfers go out to win. In the end, I’m going to win.”And then there’s one little matter he wants.“Olympic gold.”