Gandas wins Trident Open after holding off Jaglan and Sandhu in playoff
Manu Gandas survived an up-and-down final round before steadying himself in a three-way playoff to win the inaugural Trident Open at Chandigarh Golf Club.
The Gurugram pro, who closed with a one-over 73, finished tied at seven-under 281 alongside PGTI Order of Merit leader Yuvraj Sandhu (72-69-70-70) and 21-year-old debutant Shubham Jaglan (71-69-71-70). Gandas sealed the title with a composed par on the first extra hole, ending a victory drought of nearly two years and collecting his ninth professional win.
The result moves Manu to seventh on the PGTI Order of Merit after earning INR 15 lakh. Seventeen-year-old Manoj S, the third-round leader chasing a potential PGTI age record, slipped to a 75 and finished tied fourth at six-under with Shaurya Bhattacharya.
Manu started the day one behind and opened with a smart chip-and-putt birdie on the second. But after steady pars through the turn, a bogey on the 10th and a double bogey on the 16th nearly derailed his chances. A 27-foot birdie on the 13th kept him in the fight, and when both Yuvraj and Shubham matched his five birdies on the day, the trio headed to extra holes.
In the playoff, Manu found the centre of the fairway—something he aimed to repeat from earlier rounds—and followed it with a crisp chip to four feet for the winning par. He said staying patient after the late double bogey was key, adding that the victory felt even more special with his two-month-old son attending his first event.
Jaglan’s joint runner-up finish was an impressive statement in his PGTI debut. Sandhu’s strong week extended his lead atop the season-long standings, pushing his 2025 earnings past the INR 1 crore mark.
Photo – PGTI / Champion Manu Gandas (3rd from left) receives the trophy and cheque from Mr. Rajinder Gupta, Chairman, Trident Group (3rd from right), Mr. Kapil Dev, President, PGTI (2nd from right) and Mr. Shayan Basu, EVP & Zonal Head – North 2, IndusInd Bank (extreme right). The other dignitaries seen in the picture are Mr. Amandeep Johl, CEO, PGTI (extreme left) and Mr. Ravibir Singh, President, Chandigarh Golf Club (2nd from left).
