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Saptak Talwar of Greater Noida ended a long wait for his maiden title after he outshined his nearest rivals at his home course with a flawless final round of five-under 67 at the Rs 1.5 crore Adani Invitational Golf Championship 2025 played at the Jaypee Greens Golf and Spa Resort in Greater Noida.
The 26-year-old Saptak's (67-72-69-67) superb last round effort lifted him two spots from his overnight third position. Talwar, who had previously posted two runner-up finishes on the PGTI since turning pro in 2021, ended the week with a winning total of 13-under 275 and a one-stroke victory margin. Talwar, who studied at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, USA, prior to turning professional, picked up the winning cheque worth Rs 22,50,000 that propelled him from seventh to fourth position in the PGTI Order of Merit. Overnight joint leaders Arjun Prasad (68-69-69-70) of Delhi and Chandigarh's Yuvraj Sandhu (70-67-69-71) finished second and third at 12-under 276 and 11-under 277, respectively. Saptak Talwar, who was two off the lead at the start of round four, enjoyed a hot start on Friday as he capitalized with birdies on the first two par-5s, the second and fourth holes. Saptak then added two more birdies on the fifth and 10th using his wedges to great effect. He narrowly missed a five-feet eagle putt on the par-5 12th where he picked up his fifth birdie of the day. Talwar, who had made three three-putts for bogeys earlier in the week, then saw it home with pars on the last six holes. He made a crucial par save from eight feet on the 16th that helped keep his card bogey-free and gave him the momentum towards the end. Saptak said, "It's great to win at my home course in the presence of my family and friends. This is my fifth straight week of competition and my endurance was my biggest asset this week. The fact that it was a relatively stress-free week because I was playing in home conditions and there was not much preparation needed also helped. "At the start of the day, my approach was to just be patient and keep myself in the mix as long as possible as I knew the course well and was aware that I will have my opportunities at some stage. After the good start, the eight-feet par putt on the 16th I feel was a pivotal moment for me today. It helped me keep my card clean and gave me the confidence to finish well." Arjun Prasad, also searching for his first title, produced five birdies and three bogeys during his fourth round of 70. Arjun had the opportunity to take the match into a playoff before he bogeyed the final hole. Yuvraj Sandhu, a two-time winner on the PGTI this season, sank five birdies on the last day but an early double-bogey and two bogeys on the back-nine put him out of contention as he signed for a 71. There was a hole-in-one by Sri Lankan N Thangaraja on the 14th during his fourth round of 71. He secured tied 17th place at two-under 286. Nineteen-year-old Sukhman Singh of Greater Noida, the lone amateur to make the cut, won the prize for the best performance by an amateur. Sukhman totaled six-over 294 for the week to finish tied 46th. (ANI)
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