Champion N Thangaraja (3rd from left) receives the trophy and cheque from Mr. H Shankar, Managing Director, CPCL (4th from left)
Sri Lankan veteran N Thangaraja’s win at the Chennai Open 2025 this week, underlined the Professional Golf Tour of India’s international players, although he remains the only foreign player to win in 2025. The last other overseas champion on the PGTI was Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain, another veteran, who claimed the 2024 Indian Oil Servo Masters in Digboi.
The 44-year-old fired a dazzling third-round 63 to grab a one-shot lead at the Cosmo TNGF Golf Course, then held firm with a final-round 73 on a course that was set up to play very difficult, to finish 17-under 271, claiming his sixth PGTI title and second win of the season which lifts him to sixth on the PGTI Order of Merit.
The Chennai Open provides a mid-season marker for the Indian circuit, where homegrown stars such as Yuvraj Sandhu and Arjun Prasad are chasing the year-long merit title ahead of the high-stakes closing stretch.
Thangaraja’s triumph puts a rare spotlight on Sri Lankan golf, where in a country with only 5 or 6 golf courses, opportunities for elite competition are limited. By consistently winning in India—their adopted competitive home—the 4 or 5 Sri Lankans, and a similar number of Bangladeshi pros, who have played the tour for the past 20 years consistently, have made PGTI their own “home” tour.
Delhi’s Shaurya Bhattacharya, Noida’s Amardeep Malik (who eagled the 18th), and Gurugram’s Manu Gandas shared second at 16-under, while Honey Baisoya placed fifth at 14-under.
This victory not only cements Thangaraja’s status as Sri Lanka’s leading pro but also illustrates the PGTI’s role as a tour for all of South Asia.