NAGOYA — Singapore’s Shannon Tan took the lead after the first round of the women’s golf competition at the Asian Games, carding a seven-under 63 at the Kasugai Country Club on September 30 to top the leaderboard. The 22-year-old’s strong performance raised hopes of a historic medal for Singapore as she holds a three-stroke advantage over India’s Pranavi Sharath Urs, who fired a 66.
Four players shared third place on 67, including China’s 2023 Women’s PGA Championship winner Yin Ruoning, Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines, Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Wei-ling, and Thailand’s Apichaya Yubol. Teammate Chen Xinqi, 17, is tied for ninth after a one-under 69, while Amanda Tan stands joint 24th following a two-over 72.
Tan delivered a balanced round, opening with four birdies and one bogey on the front nine before responding with five birdies and a bogey on the back nine. Reflecting on her round, she said her ball-striking and putting were solid though she felt there were missed opportunities. “It’s only the first day, and there are three more rounds to go,” she noted, expressing cautious optimism while emphasizing the need to reset and focus ahead.
In the women’s team event, Singapore leads with a combined score of 132 from Tan and Chen, holding a four-shot advantage over South Korea, China, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand. Tan highlighted the significance of both individual and team success, noting the unique experience of competing alongside teammates in what is traditionally an individual sport.
Since turning professional in 2024, Tan has consistently demonstrated her place among elite women golfers. She became the first Singaporean to earn a Ladies European Tour (LET) card that year, winning the Magical Kenya Ladies Open on her LET debut and representing Singapore at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In 2025, she became the first from her country to claim the LET Order of Merit title and surpassed 51 million in career earnings. Most recently, in August 2026, she tied for sixth at the Women’s British Open, marking the best finish by a Singaporean in a major championship.
“We only get the Asian Games every four years, so winning a medal here would be a very special achievement,” Tan said. “But succeeding on tour and at a major Games would mean a lot for different reasons.”
The men’s individual stroke play competition began earlier on the same day, with Taiwanese Wang Wei-hsuan and Japan’s Kazuki Higa tied for first at five-under 65. Four players, including India’s Saptak Talwar, South Korea’s Mun Do-yeob, China’s Sampson Zheng, and Japan’s Keita Nakajima, shared third place at four-under 66.
Singapore’s Hiroshi Tai posted an even-par 70 to tie for 18th place, while teammate James Leow was joint 29th after a 72. Nicklaus Chiam followed in a tie for 40th after carding 75. In the men's team event, Tai and Leow’s combined 142 placed Singapore tied for 11th alongside Thailand, trailing leader Japan by 11 strokes. South Korea and China were jointly second with scores of 133.