Golf: Rajasthan Regals Clinch Inaugural 72 The League Title With 12-3 Finals Win

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Rajasthan Regals claimed the first DP World PGTI’s 72 The League title on March 6. Regals beat league leaders UP Prometheans 12-3 at Qutab Golf Course. The result ended a two-week event powered by IndusInd Bank. Regals earned INR 1 crore and lifted the Vibhor Sogani-designed trophy.

Regals entered the finale as the second-placed team from a five-round league stage. The win also reversed a heavy defeat in round five. Prometheans had beaten Regals 10-4 in that earlier meeting. UP Prometheans finished as runners-up and received INR 50 lakh and a silver salver.

UP Prometheans opened with unbeaten captain Shaurya Bhattacharya and Arjun Prasad in singles. Rajasthan Regals broke that plan through two wins. Jairaj Singh Sandhu beat Bhattacharya 4&3. Akshay Sharma then defeated Prasad 2&1. That left Regals needing one more win from the remaining ties.

The deciding point came in the foursomes match. Aryaman Mohan and Yuvraj Singh faced Joshua Seale and Arjun Sharma. The Regals pair won 1-up on the 18th hole. Mohan holed the final putt after the teams tied the last hole. Regals then confirmed the overall 12-3 margin.

In the fourballs, Regals captain Ajeetesh Sandhu lost a first match in the event. Sandhu partnered Michele Ortolani in that tie. Chikkarangappa S and Dhruv Sheoran added an inconsequential 2&1 win. That match came against Gaurav Pratap Singh and Pranav Mardikar.

Ajeetesh Sandhu said: "It’s been an incredible honour to lead this bunch of players. From the moment of the auction, I knew we had a lot of depth in the team. However, more importantly, when we got together for the first time, everyone jelled with each other. The chemistry has been fantastic.

"It’s been an amazing journey over the past two weeks, and we could not have asked for a better finish. It’s been an unforgettable tournament for us players. We are all so proud that we will forever be remembered as the first team to win it.

"I haven’t been part of a lot of teams, but if this is what it feels like, then I’m on board for a lot more of them."

Mohan described pressure on the closing putt, despite the short distance. "I’ve had putts to win before, and we are so accustomed to rolling in those four-footers every single day. But, on that one, I am not gonna lie, I couldn’t feel my hands. I was a mess, but thankfully, Yuvraj helped me," said Mohan.

Bhattacharya pointed to a flat day for UP Prometheans after a strong league stage. "It wasn’t our day, I guess. We played well throughout the tournament, but it just didn’t go our way. It will take a little time to sink in and we are all disappointed, but we had a great stretch going in and we gave ourselves a chance to win the trophy. We will come back strong next year," added Bhattacharya.

DP World PGTI 72 The League final scorecard and Plate Championship standings

The final and Plate Championship results were recorded as follows.

Charminar Champions secured the Plate Championship and finished third overall. Kolkata Classics placed fourth, with Mumbai Aces and Nava Raipur next on 109 points. Charminar received INR 20 lakh. Charminar also missed the finale through a countback to Rajasthan Regals. Both teams had ended the league stage on 43 points.