PGTI NEXGEN: Amrit Lal edges out Sanjeev, Lakshya in 3-way playoff to win first title

Patna (Bihar), Sep 4 (IANS) Chandigarh’s Amrit Lal edged out Lucknow golfer Sanjeev Kumar and Noida’s Lakshya Nagar in a three-way playoff to register his first professional win at the PGTI NEXGEN 2025 at Patna Golf Club.

The 25-year-old Amrit Lal (70-70-74), the overnight joint leader, fired a final round of two-over 74 to end the regulation 54 holes tied at the top of the leaderboard along with Sanjeev Kumar (72-70-72) and Lakshya Nagar (68-72-74) at a total score of two-under 214. In the three-way playoff, Lakshya crashed out of the contest after making a bogey on the first extra hole. Thereafter, on the second extra hole, Amrit’s consistency helped him prevail as he made par once again, while Sanjeev conceded a bogey to fall short.

Amrit Lal picked up the winning cheque worth INR 2,54,300, which moved him up 13 spots from 17th to fourth position in the 2025 PGTI NEXGEN Order of Merit.

Chandimandir’s Umed Kumar (71) took fourth place at one-under 215. Lucknow’s Rajesh Kumar Gautam, who finished tied ninth at five-over 221 in Patna, continues to lead the 2025 PGTI NEXGEN Order of Merit with season’s earnings of INR 5,83,200.

Patna’s Md Nawab finished the best among the local professionals as he ended the week in tied 12th at six-over 222.

Amrit Lal, whose previous best on the NEXGEN was a fourth-place finish, began the day with a two-shot lead along with overnight co-leader Lakshya Nagar. Amrit was steady over the first 10 holes, making a birdie on the second, courtesy of a 30-foot conversion and not dropping any shots.

Amrit then endured a few stutters thanks to a few erratic tee shots and approach shots that resulted in four bogeys for him on the back nine. He managed just one birdie on the back nine thanks to a 12-foot conversion on the 15th.

Finally, Amrit kept his composure on the two playoff holes to come home the champion, even as his rivals, Lakshya and Sanjeev, dropped bogeys to finish joint runners-up.

Amrit said, “All departments of my game were quite sharp this week. I drove, chipped, and putted really well. Importantly, I was mentally strong during the playoff, and that helped me close out the match.

“I was actually encouraged by making the cut on the main tour a couple of weeks back after a long injury-affected spell. My injured left thumb caused me a lot of problems for a long period, and that affected my performance. But thanks to the help extended by Dr. Vishal Gautam, I managed to fully recover from the injury some time back. I would also like to thank my fitness coach, Mr. Sagar Diwan, for all his support and guidance.”

--IANS

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