Thangaraja takes the third title of the season with the B’luru Open victory

N. Thangaraja of Sri Lanka (second from right) receives his Bengaluru Open trophy and check from IndianOil Managing Director and Head of State Siddharth Agarwal (third from right) at the Karnataka Golf Association course on Friday. Image courtesy of PGTI.

By Rahul Banerji

N. Thangaraja clinched his second title in four weeks and third of the season with a resolute performance in the final round in the Rs 1 crore Bengaluru Open at the KGA course on Friday.

The in-form Sri Lankan shot a 2-under par 69 at the IndianOil-powered event to reach a total of 18-under 266 for his seventh professional title, the PGTI said.

Thangaraja (66-65-66-69) received a check of Rs 15 lakh to take his season earnings to Rs 82,22,088 and consolidate his third place on the PGTI Order of Merit.

The 44-year-old from Colombo is now within Rs 6.45 lakh of merit list leader Yuvraj Sandhu.

Gurgaon’s Manu Gandas (70-63-69-66) finished second at 16-under 268, while Bangalore-based Rahil Gangjee shot the day’s best of 64 to share third place at 13-under 271 with Saptak Talwar (67).

Seventeen-year-old Bangalore rookie Manoj S. (66) finished fifth at 12 under 272.

Arjun Prasad (70) from Delhi finished in a shared fifteenth place^e at 7 under 277 to move into second place on PGTI’s money list.

Comfortable pillow

Thangaraja opened with a five-shot lead on Friday and had a mixed front nine with a birdie and a bogey each.

On the back nine he came under pressure from Gandas, who recorded four birdies until the 15th hole.

However, Thangaraja countered with three straight birdies of his own from holes 11 to 13 with a great approach and an accurate tee shot that kept him in front.

A bogey on 14 could not derail his round as the veteran campaigner closed the tournament with pars on the final four holes.

“My game changed after I changed the grip on my putter ahead of the Chennai event,” the winner said later.

“Since then my putting has really taken off. I have been very consistent on the greens over the last four weeks, which in turn has been producing results for me.

Relaxed approach

“I was focused and relaxed all day, despite Manu making an attack and closing the gap on the back nine. I didn’t really feel any pressure and just played like I did in the previous three rounds.

“I’m happy that I’m improving every week. These are good signs for me ahead of the DP World India Championship in Delhi next week, a tournament where I’m really keen to perform well and make a mark.”

Noida’s Kanav Chauhan (72), the only amateur to make it, took home the trophy for best non-professional performance, finishing tied for 33rd^rd at par 284 level.

Panchkula’s Brijesh Kumar made a hole-in-one on the 15th hole during his round of 76.

Also read: Thangaraja opens dominant lead in round three of Bengaluru Open

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