Manish Thakran reserves best for last round, outshines rivals to clinch maiden title at PGTI NEXGEN

Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], June 19 : Gurugram-based Manish Thakran produced the best score of the third and final round, a five-under 67, to outshine all his rivals and clinch his maiden title with a total score of nine-under 171 at the PGTI NEXGEN Imperial Golf Estate played in Ludhiana.

The 29-year-old Thakran (36-68-67), who was overnight four shots off the lead in tied fourth position, registered a two-shot winning margin on Thursday, thus picking up a cheque worth Rs 2,54,300 that moved him into 11th position on the 2025 PGTI NEXGEN Order of Merit.

Chandigarh teenager Vasu Sehgal (33-67-73), the overnight leader by three shots, returned a 73 in round three to finish tied second at seven-under 173. Karnal golfer Tushar Pannu (31-72-70), who was overnight tied second, shot a 70 on day three to also finish joint runner-up.

Lucknow's Rajesh Kumar Gautam (69) and Karnal's Rohit Narwal (70) ended tied fourth with matching scores of six-under 174. Rajesh Kumar Gautam continues to lead the 2025 PGTI NEXGEN Order of Merit with season's earnings of Rs 5,31,900.

The Imperial Golf Estate is a par-72 nine-hole course where the nine holes were played twice to comprise a round.

Manish Thakran, who has come close to winning on the PGTI's main tour in the past, began the day on a solid note with some brilliant tee shots and approach shots that earned him two birdies on the front nine, both coming from a range of five feet.

Manish then made further gains on the back-nine where he scored four birdies in exchange for a solitary bogey. He sank a 30-footer for birdie on the 11th hole after which he bogeyed the 12th as a result of finding the water hazard. Thakran finally capped off his round in style with birdies on the 15th and 18th where he came up with a great bunker shot and a quality chip shot respectively.

Manish said, "Winning my first ever professional title feels special. My ball-striking was the standout feature of my game 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, Classic Golf & Country Club, for being a great source of support for me.

"Playing at the Imperial Golf Estate for the first time has been an amazing experience. I really enjoyed the layout of this course and the playing conditions here. I would love to come back to the Imperial Golf Estate to play more events in the future."

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