The win also meant that Sandhu consolidated his position on the PGTI Order of Merit and won a sum of Rs 6 lakh. (Representational/File)Continuing his fine form, Chandigarh golfer Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, 25, carded a final round score of one-under-71 to win the J&K Open 2022, which was organised by Jammu and Kashmir Tourism at the Jammu Tawi Golf Course on Saturday.
Sandhu finished with an overall total of 13-under-275 to edge out Bengaluru golfer Khalin Joshi by seven shots and claim the fourth PGTI title of his career. Saturday’s win was also Sandhu’s third title of the year, who had earlier won the PGTI Players Championship at Kolkata and Chandigarh earlier.
“I was a little nervous coming into this week because I had played well off late but not scored well at the Asian Development Tour (ADT) events in Indonesia. So I felt I just needed a little reassurance. My father gave me a surprise this morning by arriving in Jammu. Just seeing him at the golf course before my round today helped me relax. I then just wanted to follow the yardage book, keep it in play and find fairways and greens. I managed to do that well ,” Sandhu said after the title win.
The win also meant that Sandhu consolidated his position on the PGTI Order of Merit and won a sum of Rs 6 lakh.
Sandhu, who had carded the tournament best score of seven-under-65 in the third round, started the day with two birdies and two bogeys on the front-nine. It meant that Sandhu led Joshi by five shots, with the Bengaluru golfer ending the front-nine at one-over-37. The back-nine saw Sandhu sinking a birdie each on the 11th and 13th hole respectively, apart from a par save on the 12th hole. Sandhu dropped a bogey on the 17th hole but made par on the last hole to claim the title with a seven-shot margin. Khalin finished the back-nine at one-over-37 and ended the final round with a score of two-over-74. “The nine-feet birdie conversion on the 13th hole was the point where I thought I had the match in the bag. The highlight of the week for me was my good course management, with my caddie Sonu contributing a lot to it. You have to be 100 per cent committed on this course and that’s what I did for most part of the week,” said Sandhu.
The 25-year-old now trails another Chandigarh golfer Ajeetesh Sandhu on the PGTI Order of Merit and will expect to win more titles this year to claim the PGTI Order of Merit.“I realised when I went to Indonesia to play on the ADT, I felt a little void because my regular caddie Sonu wasn’t there. He’s not just my caddie but like a younger brother to me. He has played a big part in my performance this week,” said Sandhu.