IGPL Tour: Bhullar turns in a masterclass to win third title with a birdie finish in Ahmedabad
In Ahmedabad on December 4th, Gaganjeet Bhullar turned a quiet opening round into a stunning finale, becoming the first player to win three times on the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL). After a 1‑under 71 that included a hole‑in‑one, he shot back‑to‑back 67s on days three and four, finishing 11‑under at the Glade One Resort. The 21‑year‑old Raghav Chugh, fresh from graduating at Rice University, put up a solid effort as well. He edged out a lone birdie run over the 14th and 15th holes, but with three pars on the final stretch he slipped just one stroke short, sealing second place with a 10‑under total. Three international competitors—Filipino Justin Quiban, Mexican Santiago de la Fuentes, and Indian‑American Manav Shah—were all vying for the first foreign‑winner title, yet they finished tied for third at 8‑under. The competition could have settled with a sudden‑death match since Bhullar, Chugh and Fuentes were level at 10‑under with two holes left, but Bhullar answered with an 18th‑hole birdie to close the round, having already secured an eagle and a birdie on the 14th‑15th pairing. Quiban’s round (68) included six birdies but was marred by a double‑bogey on the 17th; he finished with a birdie on the last hole for 8‑under. De la Fuentes, a two‑time Latin American amateur champion, struggled on the tricky 17th with a double‑bogey and fell to tied third after being briefly in the lead. Shah’s day was uneven: six birdies couldn’t mask a triple‑bogey on the 10th plus two other bogeys early in the round, ending at 8‑under. Among the women, Ridhima Dilawari marked the top finish with a solid 5‑under 67 that featured six birdies and a single bogey, and her performance earned her a spot in the event’s top ten. Kartik Singh and Veer Ganapathy were also strong, finishing tied sixth and tied twelfth respectively. Bhullar’s seasoned composure shone once again through: after a shaky front‑nine that saw a few bogeys, his three birdies across the 5th, 6th and 8th holes hauled him back into the lead. On the back‑nine he once more captured the 14th with an eagle and the 15th with a birdie, leaving the score at 10‑under alongside Chugh and Fuentes before sealing the win on the 18th. Bhullar, India’s most successful player on the Asian Tour with 11 victories, had already won the season’s first two IGPL events in Chandigarh and Jaypee Greens, missed several events for other commitments, but returned strong in Ahmedabad—his hometown where he once triumphed on the European Challenge Tour. Chugh, a former US Kids Teen World Champion, opened with a bogey but recovered with an eagle on the 5th and a birdie on the 9th, and his double birdie on the 14‑15 pair put him into a tie for first before the final hole kept him a stroke behind. Thus, Bhullar claimed the third trophy in three starts, earning a purse of ₹22.50 lakhs while Chugh took home ₹15 lakh.
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