Veer Ahlawat’s Jaipur Open win came as a relief to the promising youngster after a bruising season in Europe.
He came back from a full DP World Tour season in 2025 that left him with more questions than starts—146th in the rankings and outside the top 110 needed to keep a full card for 2026.
He would get limited starts in 2026 and although he went back to the Final Stage of Qualifying, in Spain, he missed the 72-hole cut there. In that context, Jaipur wasn’t about collecting a domestic cheque. It was about reclaiming control.
Then he went and did it the hard way.
Season ranking leader Yuvraj Sandhu was three clear after 54 holes, already a five-time winner this season, staring at a record sixth title.
Veer shot a record final day 62—and won by one at 19-under 261, posting 67-62-70-62 in just his third PGTI start since returning while he finished 3rd in the two previous starts.
The one-year playing rights in Europe which is awarded to the No 1 PGTI player at the end of each season is proving to be a double edged sword. Previous PGTI No 1s, Manu Gandas and Om Prakash Chouhan came back from poor seasons in Europe and needed time to find their footing—Manu has had only two wins in the past 2 years while Chauhan is still hunting for his first win since that four-win 2023 season.
Ahlawat like Gandas and Chauhan seemed out of their depth in Europe but has recovered his confidence faster after returning home. We hope he recovers fully and finds his way back to more lucrative international tours in future.
