Manish Thakran reserves his best for the last in Ludhiana

Manish Thakran - TheGolfingHub
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. Photo: PGTI

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.

Related: Umed Kumar wins on pro debut at PGTI NEXGEN

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 INR 2,54,300 that moved him into 11th position on the 2025 PGTI NEXGEN Order of Merit.

 

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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. Tushar Pannu (31-72-70), who was overnight tied second, shot a 70 on day three to also finish joint runner-up.

Rajesh Kumar Gautam (69) and Rohit Narwal (70) ended tied fourth with matching scores of six-under 174. Gautam continues to lead the 2025 PGTI NEXGEN Order of Merit with season’s earnings of INR 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.

 

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Manish, 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.

 

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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.”