Pune: Shaurya Bhattacharya, who was two strokes behind after the third round, saved his best for last by eclipsing pre-tournament favorite Yuvraj Sandhu to secure victory in a playoff at the Poona Club Open 2025, an INR 1 crore event played at the Poona Club Golf Course.
Shaurya Bhattacharya (69-63-67-64) shot a flawless seven-under 64 in the final round, the best score of the day, and finished with a total of 21-under 263 before making birdie in the playoff to edge out Yuvraj Sandhu. It was Shaurya’s second title of the season and his third overall, earning him a check worth INR 15 lakh and allowing him to consolidate his fourth position in the PGTI Order of Merit as his season earnings rose to INR 83,02,392.
Yuvraj Sandhu (65-67-65-66), who also had a record of 21-under 263, shot a 66 in the fourth round before falling by a par in the playoffs to finish second. Yuvraj picked up the runner-up check worth INR 10 lakh, which in turn helped him extend his lead in the PGTI Order of Merit by over INR 10 lakh over his nearest rival Arjun Prasad. 28-year-old Sandhu’s winnings for the season now stand at INR 98,67,200.
Veer Ahlawat and Shivendra Singh Sisodia finished a distant third with 12-under 272.
The 2025 Poona Club Open is supported by venue Poona Club Golf Course, title sponsors Vencobb and NECC, and sponsors Ventive, SKS Fasteners, Elica, Marvel Realtors, Shubbaan Investments, DFMC, Automech and Kinetic. Novotel Pune Nagar Road is the associate partner.
PGTI’s ongoing efforts to grow professional golf in India is supported throughout the year by its tour partners Rolex, Amul, IndusInd Bank, Victorious Choice, Campa, Amrutanjan Electro Plus, Golf Plus Monthly and Golf Design India.
Pune’s Rohan Dhole Patil ended the week as the top-ranked local pro as he finished 14th at six-under 278.
Delhi’s 22-year-old Shaurya Bhattacharya started the day with pars on the first seven holes, while Yuvraj Sandhu, who had held a two-shot lead overnight, moved into the lead and built a five-shot lead at the time.
Shaurya’s 12-foot birdie conversion on the eighth then sparked a big turnaround. Bhattacharya then collected five birdies on the next six holes thanks to his excellent tee shots and a 25-foot conversion. This brought him within a shot of leader Yuvraj.
Yuvraj had a two-shot lead going into the final hole. However, an erratic tee shot and a missed short putt from Sandhu resulted in a bogey for him on the 18th, while Shaurya birdied the same hole to take the game to a playoff. On the playoff hole, Yuvraj missed the fairway again and made a par, while Shaurya was solid from tee to green to score the winning birdie that secured him the trophy.
Shaurya said: “It was a very exciting day of golf with the game going right to the end. I felt like I held my nerve really well. I made very important putts, especially the par putt on the 16th hole. Then on the 18th the focus was on the birdie. The turning point was the 25-foot birdie on the 11th hole, which I wasn’t really expecting. That gave me a lot of momentum.”
“My mindset on the playoff hole was to stay in the present, focus on my breathing, my aim, and follow my process. What’s important is that I kept the ball in play with my tee shot on the playoff hole. That gave me closure. I now feel like I can finish the second half of the season on a strong note.”
