Shashank Sachin Gadre clinched the Category A title and the Category A & B Combined Championship at the 26th NCR Cup Junior & Amateur Golf Tournament after a nerve-shredding sudden-death playoff at Jaypee Greens Wish Town, Noida, on 25 September 2026. The three-day event, organised under the aegis of the Delhi Golf Society (DGS), carries vital World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points and is regarded as one of India's premier junior and amateur golf showcases.

The Category A Thriller

Overnight leader Gadre carded a composed level-par 71 in his final round to post a 7-under-par 206 (67-68-71), but found himself pushed to the wire by Sakshity Pureandre, who fired a magnificent 3-under 68 (35-33) to also finish at 206 (72-66-68). With both players locked at identical totals, the contest was decided in a sudden-death playoff — and Gadre held his nerve to take the title. Arshvant Srivastava claimed solo third place at 208 (-5) after signing for a final-round 68.

Category B Boys and Girls Results

In Category B Boys, Chaitanya Pandey delivered a dominant wire-to-wire performance, closing with a 2-under 69 for a 209 (-4) total. Pandey's margin of victory was a commanding ten strokes over Ayan Khan (219), who also shot an impressive 69 on the final day.

In the Girls' Combined & Category A, Gauri Sharma held off spirited competition to emerge champion, posting a final-round 74 to finish at 219 (+6). Dalisha Chetry, winner of Category B Girls, finished as combined runner-up at 221 (+8) after matching her tournament-best 72. Aahana Kashyap finished third combined at 222 (+9).

Amateur Divisions: Madan and Anoop Singh Triumph

The Gentlemen Amateur division saw Ritik Madan complete a start-to-finish victory, signing off with a 78 to total 221 (+8). His winning margin was a emphatic 14 shots over runner-up Kushagra Gaur (235), with Ishaan Sawhney finishing third at 240, aided by an even-par 71 on his back nine. In Ladies Amateur, Anoop Singh claimed the crown, with Ravinder Kaur as runner-up.

Sub-Junior Categories Deliver Standout Performances

The 36-hole sub-junior contests produced some of the tournament's most striking scorecards. In Category C Boys, Avviraaj held on with a closing 74 to win at 148 (+6), edging Drona Singh Dhull (149) by a single stroke. Aaliyah Kalra dominated Category C Girls wire-to-wire, finishing at 150 with a final-round 78.

Taanush Kumar was arguably the tournament's most prolific scorer, firing a 3-under 68 to finish at a remarkable 9-under 133 (65-68) and win Category D Boys by 12 strokes over Shivraj Pratap Singh (145). Mahira Sharma dominated the Category D Girls division. In Category E Boys, Lakshit Deswal produced a breathtaking 7-under-par 29 over nine holes to lift the trophy at a 36-hole total of 62 (-10), defeating Siddhik Chaturvedi and Zowra Veer Sikand (66 each). Manasvi Rathor wrapped up the Category E Girls title at 67 (-5), five shots clear of Abbakka Rawat Chettri (72).

With WAGR points on the line and multiple close finishes across categories, the 26th NCR Cup underscored its status as a key stepping stone for India's emerging golfing talent — and the performances here are likely to attract national selectors' attention ahead of the junior circuit's next major outing.