Pukhraj Singh Gill Secures First Pro Win at IGPL Invitational

Jamshedpur, Nov 7 (PTI) Pukhraj Singh Gill finally claimed his first professional victory with a dominant display at the IGPL Invitational Jamshedpur, winning by a record margin of nine shots on Friday.

The event saw Pukhraj deliver a flawless final round of six-under 66, finishing with a total of 23-under par. His only bogey of the tournament came on the second day, showcasing his remarkable consistency.

2009 Indian Open champion Chinnaswamy Muniyappa carded the day's best score of 64, securing second place at 14-under. Meanwhile, overnight joint leader Sachin Baisoya, despite a late eagle, slipped to third after shooting 69.

Harendra Gupta, Saarthak Chibber, and Sudhir Sharma tied for fourth at 12-under, with Aryan Roopa Anand taking seventh at 11-under.

Shat Mishra, Yashas Chandra, and Tushar Pannu shared the eighth spot at 10-under, while former Asian Tour winner Chiragh Kumar finished 11th at nine-under.

This sixth event of the season elevated Pukhraj to second in the IGPL Order of Merit, with earnings of Rs 48,81,382. He trails leader Aman Raj, who has Rs 60,48,858, and sits just ahead of Kartik Singh with Rs 47,67,857.

"It’s beyond all elatedness — just incredible to finally get my first professional victory," expressed an emotional Pukhraj, who had narrowly missed out on wins in previous tournaments.

“There was a lot of uncharted territory for me... the way I was able to handle myself out there is just unbelievable,” he said as he reflected on the journey.

Pukhraj credited encouragement from Gaganjeet Bhullar, noting, “He told me, ‘You’re going to win many times this year.’ For it to have really happened now feels great.”

Having previously finished as a runner-up at the Jaypee Greens, Pukhraj explained that the Beldih Golf Course suited his powerful tee shots.

“The course design allowed me to capitalize on my distance off the tee. That made a huge difference this week,” he added.

With his long-anticipated victory achieved, Pukhraj looks forward to continuing his success at the upcoming Mumbai leg. “There was a big baggage of not being able to win so far, and now it’s off my shoulders,” he concluded.

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