Digboi: Yuvraj Sandhu bounced back in style from two straight playoff defeats as he galloped to a stunning seven-shot triumph and his third win at the prestigious IndianOil SERVO Masters, an INR 1 Crore event held at the Digboi Golf Links on Friday.
Yuvraj (65-69-66-69), who enjoyed an impressive six-shot lead after the third round, shot a determined three-under 69 in round four to reach a total score of 19-under 269 in the ground-breaking 25th edition of the IndianOil SERVO Masters this week. The 28-year-old from Chandigarh secured his fifth win of the season and further extended his lead in the PGTI Order of Merit.
Yuvraj, the Wire to Wire Champion, bagged the winning check of INR 15 Lakh, taking his season winnings to INR 1,21,67,100. Sandhu now has a lead of over INR 29 lakh in the PGTI rankings.
Jamal Hossain (68-73-70-65) of Bangladesh, last year’s winner, posted the final day’s lowest score of 65, moving up six places from his tied eighth place overnight to second place with a total score of 12-under 276.
Deven Bhumij from Digboi, the only local pro to make it, ended the week in 54th place with 10-over 298.
The IndianOil SERVO Masters, which celebrated its 25th silver anniversary this year, holds a special place in the history of Indian professional golf as it is the longest-running tournament on the Indian domestic circuit and in the PGTI. The tournament has established itself as the premier professional golf tournament in North East India due to the prize money on offer, the strong field it attracts each year, world-class playing conditions and the high level of competition. IndianOil reiterated its commitment to the growth of Indian professional golf by increasing the event’s prize money to an all-time high of INR 1 crore this year.
The strong support of PGTI’s tour partners throughout the year helps elevate the prominence of Indian professional golf. PGTI’s tour partners are Rolex, Amul, IndusInd Bank, Victorious Choice, Campa, Amrutanjan Electro Plus, Golf Plus Monthly and Golf Design India.
Yuvraj Sandhu, who was the leader from day one to last, equaled his previous best of five wins in a PGTI season, a feat he achieved in 2022. Sandhu faltered early on Friday when he made a mistake the second time around. However, he came back strong with birdies in the third and fifth rounds and an eagle conversion from eight feet in the seventh to build an impressive eight-shot lead.
Yuvraj’s bogeys on the 12th and 17th were canceled out by his birdies on the 15th and 16th and he sailed to a comfortable victory in the end.
Yuvraj, who also holds the record for lowest win total of 23 under 265 at Digboi, said: “It was a pretty relaxing day as I had a big lead at the start of the round. I was trying to achieve my target of reaching the greens in regulation time. But after the eagle on the seventh, I was back in my zone and wanted to break my record of lowest win total at Digboi.”
“Digboi will always be special for me as I won my first PGTI title here. I am happy to win here for the third time and winning by a big margin is something I always cherish.”
“The playoff losses in the last two games were disappointing but I took it as a learning curve and my team did a good job making me put my head down and keep doing what I was doing well. My team’s belief in me and all the work I put into the mental side of my game helped me overcome the last two playoff losses and get back to winning ways this week,” added Yuvraj, who picked up his 14th professional win on Friday recorded.
Jamal Hossain’s 65 featured an eagle and five birdies. Jamal’s second place earned him a check worth INR 10 lakh and saw him rise from eighth to fifth place in the PGTI rankings.
Shaurya Bhattacharya (67), Saptak Talwar (69) and Veer Ahlawat (70) finished third with a total score of 11-under 277.
Shaurya’s tied third result took him from third to second place in the PGTI rankings while his season earnings rose to INR 92,52,075.
