Manu wins inaugural Trident Open trophy

Manu Gandas endured an ordinary final round of 1-over 73 before fighting back and keeping his nerve to triumph in a three-way playoff on the concluding day of the inaugural Trident Open played at the Chandigarh Golf Club.

Gurugram-based Manu (66-73-69-73), PGTI Order of Merit leader, local lad Yuvraj Sandhu (72-69-70-70) and 21-year-old Shubham Jaglan (71-69-71-70), who made his PGTI debut this week, ended the regulation 72 holes with matching totals of seven-under 281 to take the match into a playoff. Manu prevailed in the playoff with a par to return to winning ways after a year and 10 months.

Manu’s ninth professional win saw him pick up a cheque for Rs 15 lakh. The victory also helped him climb up from 14th to seventh position in the PGTI Order of Merit.

Seventeen-year-old rookie Manoj S, the third-round leader, who was looking to become the youngest player to win as a professional on the PGTI, shot a last round of 75 to finish tied-4th at 6-under 282 along with Shaurya Bhattacharya (71), the winner of PGTI’s last event.

Former PGTI Order of Merit champion Manu, who was one shot off the lead in second place after round three, played a chip to set up a tap-in birdie on the second hole. He slowed down with pars all the way till the ninth and a bogey on the 10th. A 27-ft birdie conversion on the 13th made Manu the top contender for the title. However, finding the trees with his drive on the 16th resulted in a double-bogey for Manu which was a big setback for him.

Both Yuvraj and Shubham made five birdies and three bogeys to catch up with Manu and join him in the playoff. Manu produced the best drive in the three-way playoff as the others missed the fairway. He then played a quality chip that left him a four-foot par putt for victory, which he went on to convert.

“I thought I would continue to do what I had been doing earlier in the week. I had posted seven top-10s in the last nine events, so the game was trending well and I knew that it was just a matter of time before I won,” said Manu. “I was a little frustrated with the double-bogey on the 16th but then just decided to let it pass and rather focus on what I had in my control. On the playoff hole (18th), I thought I will play it like I had done through the week by ensuring that I find the centre of the fairway. That’s exactly what I did and it paid off,” he added.