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Udayan Mane Ends Title Drought With Dominant 7-Shot Win in South Africa

Udayan Mane secured a commanding seven-shot victory at the Indian Golf Premier League Invitational in South Africa. He finished at an impressive 20-under par, the best aggregate of the season, to end a title drought dating back to 2021. Gaganjeet Bhullar finished a distant second, while Manav Shah took third place. The win propels Mane to third in the season's individual rankings and helped his team, Atri Mumbai, surge to the top of the team standings.

Key Points: Udayan Mane Wins IGPL South Africa by Seven Shots

  • Ends title drought since 2021
  • Wins by biggest margin this season
  • Finishes at 20-under par
  • Climbs to third in season rankings
3 min read

Golf: Udayan Mane ends title drought with dominant seven-shot win in IGPL South Africa

Udayan Mane claims a dominant seven-shot victory at the IGPL South Africa, ending his title drought with a 20-under total at Royal Johannesburg.

"He maintained his dominance on the back nine, adding four more birdies to complete a memorable week."

Johannesburg, April 18

Top professional Udayan Mane produced a commanding performance to clinch the Indian Golf Premier League Invitational South Africa title, cruising to a seven-shot victory over Gaganjeet Bhullar at the famed Royal Johannesburg West on Saturday.

Holding at least a share of the lead from the opening day, Mane briefly faltered with two early bogeys in his final round, his first blemishes of the week, but quickly regained control. The Olympian responded in style, carding seven birdies over the remaining holes to sign off with a 67 and seal a resounding triumph.

The win, which follows a third-place finish in Mauritius the previous week, signals a strong return to form for Mane. His rounds of 65, 64, and 67 saw him finish at an impressive 20-under, the best aggregate recorded this season so far.

Bhullar, a four-time IGPL winner, finished a distant second at 13-under after rounds of 67, 68, and 68, while Manav Shah secured third place at 12-under. Despite a steady performance that included just one bogey across three rounds, Bhullar was left ruing missed opportunities on the greens.

Mane's victory margin is also the biggest of the season, making him the third different winner this year after Bhullar's triumph in Chandigarh and Sachin Baisoya's win in Mauritius. It also ends a long wait for the former Order of Merit winner, whose last title came in 2021, taking his professional tally to 12.

Starting the final day with a six-shot cushion, Mane recovered from early setbacks with back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, followed by another on the ninth to steady his round. He maintained his dominance on the back nine, adding four more birdies to complete a memorable week.

Among other notable performances, Shaurya Binu returned the best round of the tournament with a stunning 63 on the final day, while veteran Shiv Kapur impressed with a 64. Both players climbed significantly up the leaderboard to finish tied fourth.

South Africa's Musiwalo Nethunzwi emerged as the top local finisher in sixth place at nine-under, while Karandeep Kochhar slipped to seventh after a late stumble. Youngsters Raghav Chugh and Harshjeet Singh Sethie shared eighth place, with Alessio Graziani completing the top 10.

In the season standings, Bhullar continues to lead the individual rankings, followed by Baisoya, with Mane's victory lifting him to third.

The team standings also saw a shake-up, as Atri Mumbai surged to the top, powered by Mane's stellar showing. Although Green Fuels Vizag claimed top honours for the week, they slipped to second overall, while Honer Homes Gurugram made significant gains thanks to Binu's standout performance.

The IGPL caravan now moves to Congo for the next leg of the series.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone new to following IGPL, this is exciting to see! The dominance is impressive - 20 under par is no joke. It's great for the sport to have different winners each week, keeps the competition interesting. Congrats to Mane!
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Priya S
So proud! 🏆 He showed real champion mentality. Those two early bogeys in the final round could have shaken anyone, but he came back with SEVEN birdies! That's the mark of a true winner. Also, great to see young talents like Raghav Chugh in the top 10. The future is bright.
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Vikram M
A dominant win indeed, but let's not forget Gaganjeet Bhullar's consistency. He's still leading the season standings. Mane was on fire this week, but the long season is a marathon, not a sprint. The team standings shake-up is the real interesting story – Atri Mumbai on top now!
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Rohit P
Finally! Been waiting for Mane to win again. He has so much class. Winning in South Africa at the Royal Johannesburg is a huge deal. Hope this gives him the confidence to win a few more this season. The article could have given a bit more detail on Shaurya Binu's round of 63 though – that's a spectacular score too.
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Karthik V
Great performance, but I hope the IGPL coverage improves. Many of us would love to watch these final rounds live on TV or a solid streaming platform, not just read about them later. Growing the sport needs better access for fans.

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