Thangaraja (66-65-66-69) came home the champion by a two-shot margin at a total of 18-under 266 to secure his seventh professional win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 44-year-old from Colombo picked up the winning cheque worth INR 15 lakh that took his season\u2019s earnings to INR 82,22,088. Thanga, as a result, consolidated himself in third position in the PGTI Order of Merit as he came within INR 6.45 lakh of the merit list leader Yuvraj Sandhu.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Manu Gandas (70-63-69-66) of Gurugram finished runner-up at 16-under 268 after he posted a 66 on the last day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bengaluru-based Rahil Gangjee shot the final day\u2019s best score of 64 to claim tied third place at 13-under 271 along with Saptak Talwar, who carded a 67 on day four.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 17-year-old rookie Manoj S. (66) of Bengaluru took fifth place at 12-under 272.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Delhi\u2019s Arjun Prasad (70) finished tied 15th at seven-under 277. Arjun continued in second place on PGTI\u2019s money list and also closed the gap with PGTI Ranking leader Yuvraj Sandhu to nearly INR 2.5 lakh.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
N. Thangaraja, enjoying a commanding five-shot lead heading into the final round, had a mixed front-nine where he made a birdie and bogey each. On the back nine, Manu Gandas began to pose a serious challenge to the leader with four birdies till the 15th.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, Thangaraja rose to the occasion with three straight birdies from the 11th to the 13th, courtesy of a great approach and an accurate tee shot that kept him ahead of the pack. Thanga\u2019s bogey on the 14th couldn\u2019t derail his round as the seasoned campaigner closed out the tournament with pars on the last four holes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Thangaraja, who had recorded a win and a runner-up finish on the PGTI in the past three weeks, said, \u201cI feel my game turned around after I changed the grip on my putter ahead of the Chennai event. Since then, my putting has just taken off. I\u2019ve been very consistent with my putting over the last four weeks, which in turn produced the desired results for me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI was focused and relaxed through the day today despite the likes of Manu making a charge and closing the gap with me on the back-nine. I didn\u2019t really feel pressure and just played like I had played in the previous three rounds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy that I have been getting better with every passing week. These are good signs for me in the lead up to the DP World India Championship in Delhi next week, a tournament where I\u2019m very keen to perform well and make a mark.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI was focused and relaxed through the day today despite the likes of Manu making a charge and closing the gap with me on the back-nine. I didn\u2019t really feel pressure and just played like I had played in the previous three rounds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Panchkula\u2019s Brijesh Kumar made a hole-in-one on the 15th during his last round of 76. He finished 49th at 12-over 296.<\/p>\r\n\r\n