The 27‑year‑old shot a four‑under 66 to sit tied third, while teammates Veer Ahlawat and Yuvraj Sandhu posted 71s, leaving the Indian squad fifth in the team chase.
Saptak Talwar walked onto the East Course at Kasugai Country Club on September 30 and promptly put the Indian flag on the leaderboard. A tidy four‑under 66 landed him in a three‑way tie for third in the men’s individual competition, a solid statement as the Asian Games swing into gear.
Veer Ahlawat and Yuvraj Sandhu, the other two Indians in the fray, each finished one‑over 71. Their scores left the trio perched at a joint fifth place in the team standings, three strokes behind the leaders.
Round One Overview
Talwar’s round was built on five birdies and a solitary bogey. The birdie streak came early, with his first eight holes yielding three under‑par hits. A brief stumble on the ninth gave him a bogey, but he recovered with two more birdies before the turn. The final nine holes saw him steady the ship, ending on a neat 66.
Ahlawat’s opening day was a mixed bag. He managed an eagle on the par‑five 14th, but a series of four‑bogey holes and a double‑bogey later in the round kept his total at 71. Sandhu, fresh off a tied‑13th finish at the FedEx Open de France, struggled with consistency, posting four birdies against five bogeys.
The leaders after the first round were Wei‑hsuan Wang of Chinese Taipei and Japan’s Kazuki Higa, both carding five‑under 65s. Their early surge set a high bar for the field, but Talwar’s performance suggests he could be in the mix for a podium finish.
India’s men’s team, calculated on the best two scores each day, sat at three‑under 137. Japan leads the team contest with a nine‑under 131, a gap that looks sizable but not insurmountable over the remaining three rounds.
On the women’s side, Pranavi Urs sat second with a four‑under 66, three strokes off the top spot. Diksha Dagar and Aditi Ashok both recorded 71s, tying for 18th.
The competition will run through October 3, with 72 holes in total. Each nation’s team total will be the sum of its two best players per round, meaning every stroke counts as the field tightens.
For Talwar, this start builds on recent form – he and Ahlawat shared a third‑place finish at the Bengaluru Open just weeks earlier. Sandhu’s FedEx Open de France showing adds depth to the Indian lineup, hinting at a possible surge in the later stages.
Fans will be watching keenly as the tournament unfolds. With the Indian men’s team perched just five shots off the lead, the next three days could reshape the medal picture dramatically. All eyes are now on the second round, where consistency will be the name of the game.
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