Bengaluru, Oct 10 (NationPress) Sri Lankan N. Thangaraja has maintained his impressive form, clinching his second title in just four weeks and marking his third victory of the season with a strong final round score of two-under 69 at the INR 1 crore Bengaluru Open 2025, held at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course in Bengaluru.

Thangaraja (66-65-66-69) emerged as the champion, finishing with a total of 18-under 266, securing his seventh professional victory by a margin of two shots.

The 44-year-old from Colombo earned a winning cheque of INR 15 lakh, bringing his total earnings for the season to INR 82,22,088. Consequently, Thangaraja strengthened his position in third place on the PGTI Order of Merit, now just INR 6.45 lakh behind the leader, Yuvraj Sandhu.

Manu Gandas (70-63-69-66) from Gurugram finished as the runner-up at 16-under 268, capping off his tournament with a final round score of 66.

Rahil Gangjee, based in Bengaluru, delivered the best score of the final day with a 64, finishing tied for third at 13-under 271 alongside Saptak Talwar, who posted a 67 on day four.

The 17-year-old rookie Manoj S. (66) from Bengaluru secured fifth place at 12-under 272.

Delhi’s Arjun Prasad (70) finished tied for 15th at seven-under 277, remaining in second place on the PGTI money list, narrowing the gap with leader Yuvraj Sandhu by nearly INR 2.5 lakh.

N. Thangaraja, who entered the final round with a commanding five-shot lead, had a mixed front nine, recording one birdie and one bogey. On the back nine, Manu Gandas began to challenge, posting four birdies up to the 15th hole.

Nevertheless, Thangaraja responded with three consecutive birdies from the 11th to the 13th, thanks to excellent approaches and precise tee shots that kept him ahead. Despite a bogey on the 14th hole, Thangaraja finished strong with pars on the final four holes.

Having achieved a win and a runner-up finish in the past three weeks on the PGTI, Thangaraja remarked, “I believe my game turned around after changing the grip on my putter before the Chennai event. Since then, my putting has been exceptional. I have been consistently putting well over the past month, leading to these results.”

“I remained focused and calm today, despite Manu closing the gap on the back nine. I didn’t feel pressure and played as I had in the previous rounds.”

“I’m pleased to see my improvement week by week. It’s encouraging as we approach the DP World India Championship in Delhi next week, a tournament where I’m eager to excel and leave a mark.”

Noida’s Kanav Chauhan (72), the only amateur to make the cut, received the award for the best-performing amateur, finishing tied for 33rd at even-par 284.

Panchkula’s Brijesh Kumar achieved a hole-in-one on the 15th during his final round of 76, finishing 49th at 12-over 296.