Chandigarh, Nov. 15 -- Gurugram's Manu Gandas clinched the inaugural Trident Open title after winning a tense three-way playoff at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Friday. The playoff was necessitated after Manu (66-73-69-73), Chandigarh's Yuvraj Sandhu (72-69-70-70), who is PGTI Order of Merit leader, and 21-year-old Shubham Jaglan (71-69-71-70), who made his PGTI debut this week, ended the regulation 72 holes with matching totals of seven-under 281. Manu prevailed in the playoff with a par, ending a 22-month drought and securing his ninth professional victory. With the win, Manu picked up a Rs.15 lakh cheque in the Rs.1 crore event while also climbing to the seventh position, from the 14th, in PGTI Order of Merit. Shubham and Yuvraj shared the runners-up position. While for Shubham it was an incredible finish given that it was first-ever PGTI event, for Yuvraj, it strengthened his PGTI ranking dominance with his 2025 earnings crossing Rs.1 crore after receiving a Rs.7.9 lakh cheque in the event. Seventeen-year-old rookie Manoj S, the third-round leader, who was looking to become the youngest player to win as a professional on the PGTI, shot a last round of 75 to finish tied fourth at six-under 282 along with Shaurya Bhattacharya (71), the winner of PGTI's last event. A former PGTI Order of Merit champion, Manu, who was one shot off the lead in the second place after round three, made an early gain on Friday when he played a terrific chip to set up a tap-in birdie on the second hole. The DLF Golf & Country Club player then slowed down with pars all the way till the ninth and a bogey on the 10th. A 27-feet birdie conversion on the 13th made him the top contender for the title. However, finding the trees with his drive on the 16th, resulted in a double-bogey for Manu which was a big setback for him. Both Yuvraj and Shubham made five birdies and three bogeys to catch up with Manu and join him in the playoff. Manu produced the best drive in the three-way playoff as the other two missed the fairway. Manu then played a quality chip that left him a four-feet par putt for victory which he went on to convert. Manu, who played on the DP World Tour for one year following his PGTI Order of Merit win in 2022, said, "I was a little frustrated with the double-bogey on the 16th but then just decided to let it pass and focus on what I had in my control. On the playoff hole (18th), I thought I would play it like I had done through the week by ensuring that I found the centre of the fairway. That's exactly what I did and it paid off for me. "This year has become even more special for me as I became a father just two months ago. This is the first time my two-month-old son has travelled to an event and I'm delighted to lift the trophy with him in my arms and my wife beside me."...