Yuvraj Sandhu Wins Thrilling Playoff at PGTI Players Championship

Hosur, Tamil Nadu, Aug 22 (PTI) — Yuvraj Sandhu clinched the PGTI Players Championship at Clover Greens Golf Course and Resort in a thrilling marathon playoff against Udayan Mane, stretching over five extra holes. The playoff was necessitated as both Sandhu, who led by three shots overnight, and Mane, were tied with totals of 28-under 256 after 72 regulation holes.

With rounds of 63-67-61-65, 28-year-old Sandhu secured back-to-back victories, having recently won in Mysuru. This triumph bolstered his standing atop the PGTI Order of Merit, earning a winning cheque of Rs 15 lakh. This marked Sandhu's fourth victory of the year, with his season's earnings reaching Rs 88,67,200, comfortably leading by over Rs 25 lakh on the PGTI's merit list.

Battling hard, Olympian and Pune-based Mane (67-65-62-62), a seasoned 12-time winner and a former PGTI Order of Merit champion, ended a four-year title hiatus by forcing the playoff. Mane produced a phenomenal second consecutive nine-under 62 on Friday. While Mane did fall short, his runner-up purse of Rs 10 lakh propelled him to fourth in the PGTI's money list.

Delhi's Kshitij Naveed Kaul (68-67-64-66) took the third spot with an impressive 19-under 265. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Veer Ganapathy from Bengaluru was named best amateur with a commendable tied fourth finish at 17-under 267. Joining Ganapathy were Delhi's Shaurya Bhattacharya (65), Gurugram's Kartik Sharma (67), and Nepal’s Subash Tamang (67), all securing tied fourth place.

Sandhu, celebrating his 13th professional win, was exceptional off the tee, driving the Par-4 greens thrice. He streaked through the front-nine with five birdies, though the back-nine posed challenges with four birdies countered by three bogeys, giving Mane a chance to catch up.

Mane's final round momentum was evident, firing birdies across the first four holes and securing another five against a single bogey throughout the day. Trailing, but never out, Mane pulled level after Sandhu's bogey on the 18th forced the playoff.

The playoff’s high tension saw both players matching pars for the first four extra holes on the Par-3 18th. However, the fifth hole tilted in Sandhu's favor, where his stellar tee shot left him a straightforward four-feet birdie putt to seal his win as Mane made par.

Post-victory, Sandhu expressed gratitude, saying, "I thank my mental coach, physical trainer, coach Gurbaaz Mann, and my family. Their belief in me pushes me to excel. The playoff was intense, but I reminded myself this is what I live, train, and dream for. The decisive hole was perfect at 104 yards, and being confident, I visualized and executed the shot well for the win."

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