Manish Thakran (second from right) receives his trophy from Malhotra Realty COO Rajiv Vadhera (second from left), Malhotra Realty MD Kranti Vadhera (extreme right) and Tour CEO Amandeep Johl in Ludhiana on Thursday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Manish Thakran produced a come-from-behind finish to win his maiden professional title at the Imperial Golf Estate leg of the NexGen series in Ludhiana on Thursday.
Gurgaon-based Thakran, 29, carded a 5 under par 67 to total 9 under 171 for the Rs 20 lakh event to win by two strokes, the PGTI said.
Thakran (36-68-67), tied for fourth overnight sour shots off the lead picked up a cheque worth Rs 2,54,300 that moved him into 11th place on the 2025 PGTI NexGen Order of Merit.
Chandigarh teenager Vasu Sehgal (33-67-73), the overnight leader by three shots, returned a 73 finish tied for second on 7 under 173 alongside Karnal’s Tushar Pannu (31-72-70).
Lucknow’s Rajesh Kumar Gautam (69) and Karnal’s Rohit Narwal (70) shared fourth place on 6 under 174. Gautam continues to lead the Order of Merit with season’s earnings of Rs 5,31,900.
The Imperial Golf Estate is a par-72 nine-hole course which was played twice to comprise a round other than on the weather-affected first day.
Breaking through
Thakran, who has come close to winning on the PGTI in the past, began solidly with some brilliant tee and approach shots that earned him two birdies on the front nine.
He made further gains on the back nine with four birdies against a solitary dropped shot, sinking a 30-footer for birdie on hole 11 but bogeyed 12 after finding the water hazard.
Thakran capped off his round in style with birdies on 15 and 18 where he came up with a great bunker recovery and a quality chip.
“Winning my first ever professional title feels special,” Thakran said later.
Standout feature
“My ball striking was the standout feature this week as I hit most of the fairways and greens. I was in good form with my driver and 3-wood.
“I focused hard today and kept it simple. The plan was to look for regulations and make as many pars as possible. This win has come after a long wait for me and now boosts my confidence going ahead.
“I would like to thank my home course, the Classic Golf & Country Club, for being a great source of support.
“Playing at the Imperial Golf Estate for the first time has been an amazing experience. I really enjoyed the layout and playing conditions. I would love to come back to play more events here.”
Also read: Vasu Sehgal takes NexGen event round two lead in Ludhiana
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