Viraj Madappa receives his Chennai Open trophy from CPCL managing director H. Shankar (third from left), other senior CPCL officials, TNGF honoraary secretary Adi Saravanan and Vikas Singh, Chief Business Officer, DP World PGTI at the TNGF Cosmo course on Friday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Viraj Madappa overturned a three-shot deficit and then held off Ajeetesh Sandhu to win the Rs 1 crore Chennai Open by a stroke at the TNGF Cosmo Golf Course on Friday.
The 28-year-old Kolkata golfer (72-67-63-64) made eight birdies to finish on 22 under 266 and secure his fourth professional title ahead of overnight leader Sandhu (65-66-68-68), the DP World PGTI said.
Madappa, who became the youngest Indian to win on the Asian Tour in 2018, collected Rs 15 lakh, climbing from 44th to 22nd on the 2026 DP World PGTI Order of Merit.
It took his taking his season earnings to Rs 23,90,042 and secured his place in the DP World India Championship next month at the Delhi Golf Club.
Chandigarh’s Sandhu, a five-time winner on the domestic tour dropped his first and only shot after 33 holes with a closing 4 under 68 that also included five birdies.
That one blip allowed the red-hot Madappa his chance and the Kolkata golfer held his nerve to deny Sandhu who finished runner-up on 21 under 267 on another sweltering Chennai day.
Sandhu earned Rs 10 lakh and climbed from 21st to 15th on the Order of Merit, with season earnings of Rs 33,47,375.
Noida’s Amardeep Malik (67-68-69-67) made seven birdies and two bogeys in a 5 under 67 to finish third on 17 under 271 and move from 19th to 14th in the season standings.
Telangana Open winner Rashid Khan (66-68-72-66) had a closing round that featured seven birdies and one bogey, to claim fourth place on 16 under 272.
Consolidation
The Delhi golfer also consolidated sixth place in the rankings with earnings of Rs 52,70,309.
Gurgaon’s Veer Ahlawat (69-70-67-67), the 2024 DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion, finished fifth on 15 under 273.
Madappa’s victory marked his first title since the Players Championship at Classic Golf & Country Club in April 2025. He had been encouraged by his recent form despite not converting it into the scores he wanted.
“I had been playing reasonably well without scoring as well as I would have liked,” Madappa said.
“But I knew from experience that if I kept putting myself in position, I would eventually get something out of my game.”
After opening with an level par 72, Madappa played his final three rounds in a combined 22-under. He credited the turnaround to a more disciplined approach.
“The biggest change over the last three days was greater mental discipline,” he said.
“I had been giving away too many shots on the easier holes. I recognised that and managed those scoring opportunities much better this week.”
Madappa followed his third-round 63 with a flawless final round, steadily erasing Sandhu’s advantage with eight birdies.
He also had to survive a ding-dong battle with Sandhu — who had his share of chances — over the home stretch before prevailing by that one shot
“After the opening day, I probably didn’t expect to be in this position,” he said.
“Making eight birdies without a bogey made it a near-perfect final round. To play 22 under over the last three rounds and come away with the title is extremely satisfying.”
Dosa power
The champion also revealed that dosas had been a regular part of his routine throughout the week.
“I’ve had dosas every day and ate three of them today,” Madappa said.
“I’ll probably celebrate with more when I get home because the dosas there are unbelievable.”
Race to DP World India Championship leader Saptak Talwar (67-68-73-68) finished tied eighth on 12 under 276, crossing the Rs 90 lakh mark in the process.
Defending champion N. Thangaraja (69-70-72-69) of Sri Lanka finished tied 19th at 8 under 280.
Also read: Sandhu extends his Chennai Open lead on steamy Moving Day
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