Last 12 months, Pranavi Urs suffered from a shoulder harm on the opening day of the Asian Games trials on the KGA golf course in Bengaluru.

But destiny had a second likelihood in retailer for her.

Shortly after final 12 months’s trials have been accomplished and the ultimate males’s and girls’s Indian groups have been introduced, the quadrennial occasion, scheduled to be held within the Chinese metropolis of Hangzhou in September 2022, had been postponed by a 12 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also Read | Joshi, Chawrasia, Pranavi and Avani qualify for Asian Games golf

“Once I found out that the Asian Games had been postponed to 2023, I was really looking forward to another chance and just wanted to know if they’re going to have trials or not,” Pranavi instructed Sportstar.

The trials have been certainly held once more final week on the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, and this time, the 20-year-old didn't miss the chance.

Pranavi, trailing fellow Bengaluru golfer Avani Prashanth by one shot after the second spherical, carded 3-under 69 to complete at 10-under 206 and tied {the teenager} for the highest spot. “I’m glad that I made it. It’s always been one of my dreams to play the Asian Games and it’s just the first step,” she mentioned.

The duo will probably be joined by senior golfer and Olympian Aditi Ashok for the Asian Games, which will probably be held this 12 months from September 23 to October 8. “Aditi has always been my idol. I’ve always looked up to her and to see Avani also in the team is really cool. To see the Karnataka girls playing at the Asian Games and even on the men’s side - Anirban (Lahiri) and Khalin Joshi - both from Bangalore. So, five out of seven. It’s a pretty good number,” mentioned Pranavi, India’s top-ranked feminine golfer final 12 months on the Women’s Professional Golf Tour (WPGT) - Order of Merit.

After staying out for a month resulting from her shoulder harm, Pranavi performed the seventh leg of the WPGT 2022 at Prestige Golfshire in Bengaluru in June with none observe. And regardless of that, she shot 11-under 205 for the week, grabbing the title by 4 photographs.

That win gave her confidence as she then went on to win the ninth leg in addition to twelfth leg earlier than going to the LPGA Qualifying School, one of many hardest golf tournaments on the planet, in California. She certified for the second stage of the occasion after a T32 end within the first. However, she couldn't make the lower within the Top-45 listing within the second stage, due to this fact, did not make it to the Qualifying Series.

“I’ve been working a lot in terms of my strength and conditioning and a lot of rehab,” mentioned the 20-year-old, who gained the second leg of this 12 months’s WPGT in Mumbai and completed inside Top-20 at South Africa Women’s Open.

Pranavi took up the game on the age of six after watching her brother and father play golf at Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club in Mysuru and credit Dream Sports Foundation for supporting her profession. She mentioned, “When I was 15, Dream Sports Foundation reached out through GoSports and they really helped me transform from an amateur to professional - helping me with my nutritionist, my strength and conditioning. The more sponsors reach out to different juniors, that’ll be very helpful.”

Pranavi, who trains underneath famend coach Steven Giuliano, is ready to go away for Epson Tour and has her targets set for the remainder of the 12 months. “I want to have a card on the LPGA, hopefully by playing the Epson and obviously, to win a medal at the Asian Games with Aditi and Avani. Most importantly, to be injury-free,” she mentioned.