India's six-member golf team, led by Aditi Ashok, begins Asian Games 2026 campaign in Nagoya
India's six-member golf contingent, led by 2023 silver medallist Aditi Ashok, begins its Asian Games 2026 campaign in Nagoya on Wednesday, September 29, 2026, facing a star-studded international field.
The entry lists include 66 men and 45 women, and players will not face the usual professional-circuit cuts, allowing competitors to play all rounds. Team medals will be decided by taking the two best scores from each three-player squad, a format that the Indian delegation believes suits its depth. Till Hangzhou, countries sent four-member men's squads; for 2026 the event uses three-member teams for both men and women. The tournament is being staged at Kasugai Country Club’s East Course, a layout renovated in 2024.
India's playing group names are Yuvraj Sandhu, Veer Ahlawat and Saptak Talwar in the men’s section, with Aditi Ashok joined by Diksha Dagar and Pranavi Urs for the women’s event. Aditi is the only Indian woman to have won an Asian Games medal and this will be her third appearance after featuring in 2014 and 2023. Diksha was part of the Indian side in 2018, and Pranavi represented India at the 2023 Asian Games.
Historically, India has won seven medals in Asian Games golf, including three golds. Golf debuted for India at the New Delhi Games, where ‘Bunny’ Lakshman Singh and Rajiv Mohta took the individual gold and silver while Amit Luthra and Rishi Narain completed the team that won gold. The men’s side also secured team silver in 2006 and 2010, and Shiv Kapur won individual gold in Busan in 2002; the Indian men have not won a medal since.
The current men’s trio brings domestic professional credentials: Sandhu is a former PGTI No. 1, Talwar arrives as the PGTI Order of Merit leader after a breakthrough season, and Ahlawat is another former PGTI No. 1. On the women's side, Aditi arrives off a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics and as the silver medallist from Hangzhou; Diksha is a two-time Ladies European Tour winner who had a strong 2026 season, and Pranavi is an established LET campaigner. At Hangzhou in 2023, the Indian women finished fourth in the team event with Pranavi and Avani Prashanth alongside Aditi, who took individual silver after a final-round 77.
The broader field includes high-profile international professionals. South Korea’s Tom Kim, a PGA Tour winner who played for the International Team at the Presidents Cup, is in the line-up; a gold medal would qualify him for exemption from South Korea’s mandatory military service. Kim, who won an Asian Tour event in India in 2019, is accompanied by fellow professionals Kim Seong-hyeon and Doyeob Mun. Hosts Japan have selected professionals in the men's competition for the first time, naming Keita Nakajima — a former Japan Golf Tour money-list winner who won the Hero Indian Open two years ago and is a regular on the DP World Tour — alongside Kazuki Higa and top amateur Taishi Moto.
Kasugai Country Club’s East Course, renovated in 2024, features tree-lined fairways, strategic hazards and greens described as demanding accuracy; its narrow fairways and small greens are expected to reward precise positioning. The event is scheduled to be contested over 72 holes from September 30 to October 3, with four gold medals on offer across the men’s and women’s individual and team competitions.