Chennai, September 11, 2026: Viraj Madappa overturned a three-shot deficit with a bogey-free eight-under 64 to win the INR 1 crore Chennai Open 2026 Powered by Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) by one stroke at the TNGF Cosmo Golf Course.
The 28-year-old Kolkata golfer, who returned rounds of 72-67-63-64, began the final round three shots behind overnight leader Ajeetesh Sandhu and made eight birdies to finish at 22-under 266, securing his fourth professional title.
Madappa, who became the youngest Indian to win on the Asian Tour in 2018, collected INR 15 lakh for the win. The result lifted him from 44th to 22nd on the 2026 DP World PGTI Order of Merit, took his season earnings to INR 23,90,042 and secured his place in the DP World India Championship.
Sandhu’s overnight lead is not enough
Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, a five-time DP World PGTI winner, closed with a four-under 68 made up of five birdies and a bogey after rounds of 65-66-68. It was not enough to protect his overnight advantage, and he finished runner-up at 21-under 267.
Sandhu earned INR 10 lakh and climbed from 21st to 15th on the Order of Merit, taking his season earnings to INR 33,47,375.
Malik, Rashid Khan and Ahlawat round out the top five
Noida’s Amardeep Malik carded a five-under 67, with seven birdies and two bogeys, to finish third at 17-under 271 off rounds of 67-68-69-67. The result moved him from 19th to 14th in the season standings and took his earnings to INR 33,75,548.
Delhi’s Rashid Khan fired a closing six-under 66, with seven birdies and a bogey, to place fourth at 16-under 272 from a 66-68-72-66 card. He consolidated sixth position in the season rankings, with total earnings of INR 52,70,309.
Gurugram’s Veer Ahlawat, the 2024 DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion, finished fifth at 15-under 273 after rounds of 69-70-67-67.
Madappa: “The biggest change was greater mental discipline”
Madappa’s win was his first title since the DP World PGTI Players Championship at Classic Golf & Country Club in April 2025. He said he had been encouraged by his recent form despite not converting it into the scores he wanted.
“I had been playing reasonably well without scoring as well as I would have liked,” Madappa said. “But I knew from experience that if I kept putting myself in position, I would eventually get something out of my game.”
After opening with an even-par 72, Madappa played his final three rounds in a combined 22-under, a turnaround he put down to a more disciplined approach.
“The biggest change over the last three days was greater mental discipline,” he said. “I had been giving away too many shots on the easier holes. I recognised that and managed those scoring opportunities much better this week.”
He followed his third-round 63 with a flawless final round, steadily erasing Sandhu’s advantage with eight birdies and no dropped shots.
“After the opening day, I probably didn’t expect to be in this position,” he said. “Making eight birdies without a bogey made it a near-perfect final round. To play 22-under over the last three rounds and come away with the title is extremely satisfying.”
Madappa also credited a more regular source of fuel through the week.
“I’ve had dosas every day and ate three of them today,” he said. “I’ll probably celebrate with more when I get home because the dosas there are unbelievable.”
Talwar holds on to the Race to DP World India Championship lead
Current Race to DP World India Championship leader Saptak Talwar carded rounds of 67-68-73-68 to finish tied eighth at 12-under 276. The result earned him INR 2,00,100 and extended his lead at the top of the standings, taking his season earnings to INR 91,32,484.
Defending champion N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka finished tied 19th at eight-under 280 with a 69-70-72-69 card.
The Race to DP World India Championship crowns the DP World PGTI’s number one player for the season and will also determine the top 24 players from the Order of Merit who qualify for the season-ending DP World India Championship.
