Asian Games 2026: Saptak Talwar tied third after 66 in golf opener

Asian Games: Saptak Talwar makes strong start with four-under 66 to be tied third

Aichi-Nagoya, Sep 30

Veer Ahlawat and Yuvraj Sandhu, the other two Indians in the fray, carded scores of one-over 71 to be placed tied 23rd.

After round one, the leaders in the individual event were Chinese Taipei's Wei-hsuan Wang and Japan's Kazuki Higa as both fired scores of five-under 65.

In the men's team event, the Indians were placed tied fifth with a total of three-under 137 as the scores of the top two players counted toward the team score. Japan were the leaders in the team event with a score of nine-under 131.

Saptak Talwar, currently leading the PGTI Order of Merit, made five birdies and a bogey during his opening round.

Former PGTI Order of Merit champion Veer Ahlawat made an eagle, three birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey in his first round. Yuvraj Sandhu, the 2025 PGTI Order of Merit winner, made four birdies and five bogeys in his first round.

The men's golf competition features 66 players and will be played over 72 holes from September 30 to October 3. The team medals will be decided on the aggregate scores of the best two players from each country in each round.

The Indian men's trio brings considerable experience and strong recent form into the competition. Talwar and Ahlawat finished tied third at the Bengaluru Open 2026 immediately before the Asian Games, while Sandhu recently recorded a notable tied 13th finish at the DP World Tour's FedEx Open de France.

In the women's individual event, Pranavi Urs was placed second at four-under 66, three shots behind the lead. Diksha Dagar and Aditi Ashok were tied 18th with scores of one-over 71.

In the women's team event, the Indian team was tied sixth at three-under 137, five shots off the lead.

— IANS