Gritty Sandhu prevails in Players Championship thriller over Madappa

By Rahul Banerji

Two young guns of Indian golf went head to head at the PGTI Players Championship in Kolkata with Yuvraj Singh Sandhu displaying nerveless golf to edge past local favourite Viraj Madappa by a shot.

The final day at the Tollygunge Club was nothing short of sensational.

Twenty-five-year-old Sandhu’s 4-under 66 helped him prevail in a thriller as he recorded the lowest winning total of 21-under 259 at the Tollygunge Club for his second PGTI title.

Sandhu’s round featured an eagle two on the 16^th hole and a 35-foot birdie conversion on 18, the PGTI said. 

But he was pushed all the way by Madappa who shot the day’s joint best score of 64 to finish on 20-under 260.

Chandigarh-based Yuvraj (67-65-61-66), the third-round leader by three shots, had to dig deep to quell the challenge posed by Madappa (64-70-62-64),

Sandhu’s victory, his second in four months, lifted him from 23^rd to second in the PGTI Order of Merit after he picked up the winner’s cheque of Rs. 8,08,250.

Rahil Gangjee took third place on 17-under 263 following a final round of 66.

All-round display

Twenty-four-year-old Madappa, tied second overnight almost turned the tables early with six birdies over the first 13 holes in a display of all-round golf.

At that stage, Madappa, a winner on the Asian Tour, held a three-shot lead over Sandhu.

After Viraj dropped a shot on 14 and both he and Yuvraj picked up birdies on 15, there was a momentum shift.

Sandhu came up with an incredible approach shot from 99 yards on 16 that found the hole for an eagle and brought him on level terms with Madappa.

Yuvraj finally nailed an unbelievable 27-foot birdie putt on 18 to get over the line and break the record for the lowest winning total at Tollygunge Club.

The mark previously stood on 18-under 262 shared by Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (Bengal Open 2019) and Anirban Lahiri (PGTI Players Championship 2011).

Holding on

Yuvraj, the son of an Army officer, said, “Even though I was trailing for a major part of the round, I remembered what my father had told me that it’s not over till the last hole is holed out.

“Today, I knew that it was about being patient.

“After finding the 16^th fairway, I knew that I had an opportunity as I was putting well.

“I managed to open the door with the eagle on 16. Then on the last hole I just told myself to make sure that I don’t leave it short and put good pace on the ball. That worked out for me perfectly.

“I still can’t believe the way I played on the back nine. It’s still sinking in.

“My putter really stood out for me this week. I was struggling with my driving over the last few events so I switched back to my old driver which really helped.”

Rashid Khan and Shamim Khan were tied fourth on 16-under 264.

Kolkata’s S.S.P. Chawrasia finished tied ninth on 11-under 269.

Indian golf legend Jeev Milkha Singh was tied 17^th on eight-under 272.

Partnership extended

Meanwhile, Tata Steel announced on the day it would extend support to the Professional Golf Tour of India as an umbrella partner for three more years starting from the 2022 season.

The sponsorship commitment is pegged at a higher value, compared to the previous occasion and the company said it was doubling the prize money of the season-ending Tata Steel Tour Championship to Rs 3 crores, from this year onwards.

Also read: Blistering 61 carries Yuvraj Sandhu into Players C’ship pole position