Varanasi, June 18 (IANS) Sunit Chowrasia of Kolkata carded a final-round of three-over 73 to secure a four-shot victory at the inaugural INR 25 lakh DP World PGTI NexGen – Varanasi played at the BLW Greens Golf Course in Varanasi on Thursday.

Chowrasia (67-64-73) finished the week at six-under 204 to claim his third consecutive title on the DP World PGTI NexGen. The victory follows his triumphs at the Alpha Sports Academy Golf Championship hosted by Patna Golf Club in March and last week’s Vijay Kumar Memorial in Lucknow, making him the first player in NexGen Tour history to win three consecutive events.

The win earned Chowrasia INR 3,17,875 and saw him emerge as the 2026 DP World PGTI NexGen Order of Merit Champion with total season earnings of INR 10,04,393. Sunit thus secured an exemption on the DP World PGTI (Main Tour) for the 2027 season.

In addition, Sunit, nephew of the legendary SSP Chawrasia, equalled Mani Ram’s record of three victories in a single NexGen season, a feat achieved by the latter in 2010.

Mathura’s Mukeem Ali (67-68-73), one of the three overnight leaders after round one, finished tied second at two-under 208 alongside Kolkata’s Souvik Nayak (69-69-70), who continued his consistent week with a closing round of 70.

Starting the final round from the first hole in the shotgun format, Chowrasia, playing his fifth event of the season, was tested throughout the day. He suffered a double bogey on the par-3 sixth and dropped another shot on the par-5 ninth during a difficult opening stretch. However, the Kolkata golfer showed maturity and composure under pressure, mixing two birdies with two further bogeys on his second nine to safely close out the title despite not having his best scoring day.

Reflecting on the victory, Chowrasia, who had set the course record of six-under 64 in Round Two, said, “It feels great. Securing my card for next season on the main tour is a big achievement and gives me a lot of confidence going forward. Now the focus shifts to preparing myself to compete consistently at that level and becoming a stronger player.”

The three-time winner credited his recent success to patience and trusting the process. “I’m obviously very happy with where my game is right now. The last few weeks have been special, and it’s satisfying to see the hard work paying off. I’ve tried to keep things simple, trust my process and focus on playing one shot at a time,” he said.

The victory was particularly meaningful considering his journey back from injury. “The injury period was difficult because all I wanted to do was play golf. Watching friends and fellow professionals compete while I was sidelined wasn’t easy, but I always believed I would come back. To be standing here now after everything I’ve gone through makes it even more rewarding.

“When I’m out on the golf course competing and enjoying myself, it feels special. If I compare where I was three years ago to where I am today, it’s a completely different place, both physically and mentally.”

Looking ahead, Chowrasia added, “My immediate goal is to make the most of the opportunities on the main tour. I’ll also be looking at the Asian Tour Qualifying School later in the year. For now, I’m enjoying this moment, but there’s still a lot more I want to achieve. I thank my uncle SSP Chawrasia for standing by me and supporting me through the tough times,” he added.

Souvik Nayak and Mukeem Ali, the two joint runners-up, climbed up the leaderboard on the final day courtesy their scores of 70 and 73, respectively. However, they were unable to catch up with the overnight leader Chowrasia.

Local favourite Hemant Yadav (69-64-77), an employee of Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) who had matched the course record with a 64 in round two, slipped to a share of fourth place after a final-round 77. He finished at even-par 210 alongside Gurugram’s Nikhil Sharma (68-74-68) and Delhi’s Pawan Kumar (76-70-64).

Pawan Kumar produced one of the standout performances of the final day, matching the course record of six-under 64 earlier set by Chowrasia and equalled by Hemant Yadav.

–IANS

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