GREATER NOIDA, Apr 4: Local boy Saptak Talwar ended a long wait for his maiden title, clinching the Rs 1.5-crore Adani Invitational Golf Championship on his home course with a flawless final round of five-under 67 here on Friday.
The 26-year-old Talwar’s (67-72-69-67) superb last-round effort at the Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort lifted him two spots from his overnight third position.
Talwar, who previously had two runner-up finishes on the PGTI since turning pro in 2021, ended the week with a total of 13-under 275 and a one-stroke victory margin.
Talwar picked up the winner’s cheque of Rs 22,50,000 that propelled him from seventh to fourth position on the PGTI Order of Merit.
Overnight joint leaders Arjun Prasad (68-69-69-70) of Delhi and Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Sandhu (70-67-69-71) finished second and third at 12-under 276 and 11-under 277, respectively.
Talwar, who was two off the lead at the start of round four, enjoyed a blazing start on Friday as he capitalised with birdies on the first two par-5s, the second and fourth holes.
He then added two more birdies on the fifth and 10th, using his wedges to great effect. He narrowly missed a five-feet eagle putt on the par-5 12th where he picked up his fifth birdie of the day.
Talwar then saw it home with pars on the last six holes. He made a crucial par save from eight feet on the 16th that helped keep his card bogey-free and gave him the momentum towards the end.
“It’s great to win at my home course in the presence of my family and friends. This is my fifth straight week of competition and my endurance was my biggest asset this week. The fact that it was a relatively stress-free week because I was playing in home conditions and there was not much preparation needed also helped,” he said.
Arjun Prasad, searching for his first title, produced five birdies and three bogeys during his fourth round of 70. He had the opportunity to take the match into a playoff before he bogeyed the final hole.
Yuvraj Sandhu, a two-time winner on the PGTI this season, sank five birdies on the last day but an early double-bogey and two bogeys on the back-nine put him out of contention as he signed off for a 71. (PTI)
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