New Delhi, Oct 17 (PTI) For Pranavi Urs, spending an hour with golfing idol Rory McIlroy was a dream come true, as the two discussed his Masters triumph and her own fightback to win the gold medal at the recent Asian Games.
Earlier this week, Pranavi met McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam with his maiden Masters title in 2025 and successfully defended the Green Jacket this year, after the former world number one arrived in India for the ongoing DP World India Championship.
“I met my idol Rory, and I got to spend some time with him which is unreal. I think it was one of the best days of my life and it was a dream come true
“I enjoyed his company and I spent a good hour with him and loved absolutely every second of it,” Pranavi told PTI on the sidelines of day two of DP World India Championship.
The 23-year-old from Mysuru herself overcame a triple bogey on the third hole of her final round at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games earlier this month to win the women’s individual gold by a stroke.
The conversation centred on their experiences at the Masters and the Asian Games, with Pranavi drawing inspiration from McIlroy’s ability to recover from a difficult start to win his first Green Jacket.
“It was just more about our experiences and what I went through in Japan and what he went through during the Masters the first time that he won.”
“How he played his Masters after having a bad start, and I told him that I did think about him when I had made that triple on hole three. It was just that and kind of having the same emotion, but at different levels in different tournaments,” she said.
Pranavi believes Indian golf is growing at every level and is happy to be part of that progress.
“Indian golf is definitely growing and I’m just glad that I could be part of it and it feels great.”
The recent success has also done little to alter her approach to the game, with the golfer determined to shut out external expectations and focus on her own performance.
“I didn’t let any of that (expectations) affect me. I just went there and did what I had to do. Other people’s expectations are not in my control.
“They can think and say whatever they want but at the end of the day, it’s my game and me so it was just me against the golf course and no one else mattered,” she said.
Asked about the secret behind her recent success, Pranavi credited hard work and consistency.
“Put in the work and just practise and play. Just keep doing what I’m doing and honestly not really think about what other people think and like I said just cancel out the noise from what’s coming from outside.”
She does not plan to make any drastic changes to her preparation, preferring to stick to the routine that has brought her success as she looks to win on the professional tour.
Pranavi also has her sights set on the Olympics, where she hopes to achieve the ultimate prize.
“I think winning an Olympic gold medal will be the best thing ever,” she said. PTI SR APA
APA
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