By Rahul Banerji
Pranavi Urs, Avani Prashanth, Khalin Joshi, and Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia completed the Indian golf teams for the Hangzhou Asian Games at a trial in Kolkata on Thursday.
The four topped the selections run by the Indian Golf Union at Royal Calcutta Golf Club and join Aditi Ashok, Anirban Lahiri and Shubhankar Sharma who were exempted from the process.
The golf medals will be contested in China between September 28 and October 1.
Karnataka duo Pranavi and Avani tied for top honours from the 18-strong women’s field at the RCGC on 10-under par 206 in a battle that went down to the 54th and final hole of the trials.
Pranavi, who trailed Queen Sirikit Cup champion Avani by one shot after the second round had a three-under 69 despite a bogey on her penultimate hole. Avani, still ahead by one at the 18th however dropped a shot to fall into a tied final total.
Tvesa Malik shot a 68 and ended third on nine-under 207 to narrowly miss out, while day one leader Amandeep Drall (71) was fourth on seven-under 209.
Tokyo Olympian Diksha Dagar (70) and Vani Kapoor (71) were fifth and sixth.
Wire-to-wire
On the men’s side, 2018 Panasonic Open India winner Khalin Joshi completed his end-to-end run and top the trials with a final round of for-under 68 and a total of 13-under 203 for the 54 holes.
Two-time Indian Open champion Chawrasia who played at the 2016 Olympics also had a 68 and totalled 11-under 205 for second place.
The women’s squad will be an all-Karnataka unit with Aditi, Avani and Pranavi. Further Bangalore connections come from Joshi and Lahiri, who spent his early years in the Garden City.
Among the men, local lad Viraj Madappa (68) who opened with a disappointing 75 went 66 and 68 over the next two days but he and Aman Raj (72) ended in a tie for third place on seven-under 209.
Avani’s Asian Games berth seals her status as one to watch in the women’s firmament despite her amateur status while for Pranavi, in her second season as a pro it comes as a boost for her upcoming Epson Tour engagements.
Lahiri won a team silver at the 2006 Doha Asian Games and has since played the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games. Hangzhou will be his second Asian Games.
Chawrasia was Lahiri’s teammate in 2016 while Udayan Mane made the grade with Lahiri in 2020 Tokyo Games, which were held in 2021.
Aditi played in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where her final-day heroics captured national attention.
Qualifying scores
Women: 206 – Pranavi Urs (70-67-60), Avani Prashanth (70-66-70)
Men: 203 – Khalin Joshi (67-68-68); 205 – S.S.P. Chawrasia (69-68-68).
Also read: Avani Prashanth, Joshi lead Asian Games trials in Kolkata
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