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Hero Women’s Pro Golf: Pranavi eyes victory among pros ahead of the final round
The amateur got off to a shaky start, but three birdies helped her grab second position
Pune: From watching horses at the race course to putting at the golf course is a transition Pranavi Urs loves to the core. The 16-year-old is the sole amateur player in the ongoing first leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour 2020 at the Poona Club Golf Course. Urs topped the scoreboard on day one, but a double bogey in the first hole pushed her down to second place with a two-over-par score of 73. However, Urs is just two shots behind the leader and last year’s most successful player, Ridhima Dilawari. Despite the silly errors, the amateur golfer seems focused and is oozing confidence ahead of the final round on Saturday.
The beginning
Urs held a golf club for the first time at six. She hails from Mysuru where the race course and the golf course are located at the same place. Gazing at the horses, Urs was eventually intrigued by the game of golf after seeing her father and brother play. Just a year later, at the age of 7, Urs won in a junior south zone golf tournament in Mysuru. The victory was enough for the youngster to realise that golf was the perfect match for her. Almost ten years down the line, Urs is aiming to turn professional in February.
After turning professional next month, Urs is not thinking about an international outing soon. “After I turn pro, I will keep playing and try my best to improve the aspects that need to be worked on. I will play on turfs across India for at least another year before I can think about going on an international tour,” said the amateur golfer. The highlight of her career so far has been her victory in the ninth leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the Eagleton Golf Resort in Bengaluru in 2018 where she carded a four-over-par, finishing with a final score of 220.
The success
Playing in several professional tournaments where she was the only amateur on the roster, Urs became the second player after current leader, Ridhima Dilawari, to win a professional title when she won at the Eagleton Golf Resort last year. On her last visit to the city in 2019, Urs came very close to adding another professional title to her kitty, but had to settle for the second position as Kolkata’s Neha Tripathi took the crown on the final day. However, being the only amateur in that tournament as well, Urs was content with the result.
Her stellar and consistent performance in the professional tournaments is currently helping the teenager keep her nerves ahead of the final round. In her third visit to the city’s golf course, Urs feels quite comfortable playing strokes on the soft and firm fairways of the Poona Club Golf Course. “The fairways are pretty soft and quite narrow compared to the ones I have seen in different cities across India. Due to that, the tee-shot is very tricky and important here,” she said.
The game
On day two, Urs got off to a very shaky start on the first. She finished with a disappointing double bogey and was already three-over-par after the first. She was at par for the next three before she finished with another bogey on the fifth. Two birdies on the seventh and ninth helped her reduce the deficit as she was two-over-par at the midway point of the match.
Keeping her nerves, Urs was at par from the tenth to thirteenth, before ending with a crucial birdie on the fourteenth. She was at par for the remaining holes, barring the sixteenth, in which she finished with another dismaying bogey. Urs ended day two with a two-over-par score of 73, which was 3 more than what she earned on the first day.
“The way I started today was extremely poor, but I built momentum as the match advanced, got three birdies and, ultimately, I was happy with the comeback I made. Being the only amateur in the tournament does not intimidate me. It has been great playing alongside all the pros because it helps me see where I stand before I turn professional in February,” said Urs.
Dilawari retains top-spot; Drall falters
Ridhima Dilawari, who won 5 out of 12 tournaments last year, retained top-spot at the end of the second round of the tournament. Dilawari shared the top-spot with Pranavi Urs after round one, but sits atop the card with a two-shot advantage.
Dilawari finished with bogies on the seventh, eighth, eleventh and eighteenth holes. However, she finished with impressive birdies on the fourth, ninth, tenth and twelfth, registering a perfect score of 71. She was the only player at the end of the second round to have a score (141) which was one-under-par.
Amandeep Drall climbed up to second place after a fantastic start on day two. She notched three birdies on the fourth, fifth and ninth with just one bogey on the third in the first half. Drall was two-under-par at the midway point, before getting another birdie on the eleventh.
However, she faltered towards the end and finished with bogies on the fifteenth and seventeenth taking her second half score to one-over-par. Even after fluffing her lines, Drall was the only player to finish with an under-par score of 70 on day two.