Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, September 30: Saptak Talwar shot a four-under 66 to be tied third after the first round of the men’s individual golf event at the Asian Games 2026.
The DP World PGTI Order of Merit leader made five birdies and a bogey at the par-70 Kasugai Country Club East Course.
Chinese Taipei’s Wei-hsuan Wang and Japan’s Kazuki Higa lead on five-under 65.
Ahlawat and Sandhu start on 71
Veer Ahlawat and Yuvraj Sandhu, the other two Indians in the field, both shot one-over 71 and are tied 23rd.
Ahlawat, a former Order of Merit champion, had an eagle, three birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. Sandhu, the 2025 Order of Merit winner, made four birdies and five bogeys.
India are tied fifth in the men’s team event at three-under 137. Japan lead on nine-under 131.
The men’s competition has 66 players and runs over 72 holes from September 30 to October 3. Team medals are decided on the combined scores of each country’s best two players in every round.
Talwar and Ahlawat both finished tied third at the Bengaluru Open 2026 just before the Games, while Sandhu was recently tied 13th at the DP World Tour’s FedEx Open de France.
Pranavi Urs second in women’s event
In the women’s individual event, Pranavi Urs shot a four-under 66 and is second, three shots behind the lead. Diksha Dagar and Aditi Ashok are tied 18th after rounds of one-over 71.
The Indian women’s team is tied sixth at three-under 137, five shots off the lead.
Talwar followed up with a 68 in the second round.
