Johannesburg, April 18 (NationPress) Udayan Mane, a top-tier professional golfer, showcased an impressive display to secure the title at the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) Invitational South Africa. He triumphed with a commanding seven-shot lead over Gaganjeet Bhullar at the prestigious Royal Johannesburg West on Saturday.

From the onset, Mane held at least a share of the lead, although he encountered a minor setback with two early bogeys during his final round—his first mistakes of the week. However, he swiftly regained his composure. The Olympian responded magnificently, recording seven birdies over the remaining holes to finish with a 67, thus ensuring a spectacular victory.

This win, coming on the heels of a third-place finish in Mauritius the prior week, marks a significant resurgence for Mane. His rounds of 65, 64, and 67 culminated in an impressive total of 20-under, the best cumulative score of the season thus far.

Bhullar, a four-time IGPL champion, ended in a distant second place at 13-under, following rounds of 67, 68, and 68. Manav Shah secured the third spot at 12-under. Despite maintaining a steady game with only one bogey across three rounds, Bhullar lamented missed chances on the greens.

Mane's victory margin is also the largest of the season, making him the third unique winner this year, following Bhullar's win in Chandigarh and Sachin Baisoya's victory in Mauritius. This triumph also concludes a lengthy wait for the former Order of Merit titleholder, whose last championship was in 2021, bringing his professional title count to 12.

Beginning the final day with a six-shot lead, Mane quickly bounced back from early challenges with consecutive birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, and another on the ninth to stabilize his performance. He maintained his dominance on the back nine, adding four more birdies to cap off a remarkable week.

Among other notable achievements, Shaurya Binu delivered the best round of the tournament with a stunning 63 on the final day, while veteran Shiv Kapur impressed with a 64. Both players made significant upward movements in the leaderboard, finishing in a tie for fourth place.

South Africa’s Musiwalo Nethunzwi claimed the honor of being the top local finisher, taking sixth place at nine-under, while Karandeep Kochhar fell to seventh after a late stumble. Young talents Raghav Chugh and Harshjeet Singh Sethie shared eighth place, with Alessio Graziani rounding out the top 10.

In the season standings, Bhullar continues to lead the individual rankings, followed closely by Baisoya, with Mane's victory propelling him to third.

The team rankings also saw a significant shift, with Atri Mumbai climbing to the top, boosted by Mane’s outstanding performance. While Green Fuels Vizag claimed the weekly honors, they slipped to second overall, and Honer Homes Gurugram made notable gains thanks to Binu’s standout performance.

The IGPL series now heads to Congo for the next leg of the competition.