The final day of the AVT Champions Tour event at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA), Bengaluru, witnessed an exciting finish as senior golfers competed with determination to win the season’s first title.

Sandeep Singh Sandhu, who led from the start, looked poised to take the overall title once again. However, in a dramatic turn of events during the final two holes, Bengaluru’s own David D’Souza made a stunning comeback with steady and consistent play to match Sandhu’s total score of 145 after two rounds. With both players tied, the winner was decided by countback.

Ice cool David holes a 7 footer to clinch the title at KGA. This putt was to tie Sandhu who doubled the last hole.

Ice cool David holes a 7 footer to clinch the title at KGA. This putt was to tie Sandhu who doubled the last hole. David’s better second round gave him the edge, and he was declared the overall champion of the AVT Champions Tour KGA event. Speaking after the win, David mentioned that winning on his home course was truly special. It was quite unexpected, especially since the win came down to the very last hole. Jehangir Tankariwala also remained in close contention throughout and finished just one stroke behind at 146, highlighting the fierce level of competition.

In the individual gross categories, Ashish Kapoor emerged as the winner in Category A (ages 50-54) with a total of 148, while Anil Shivanna finished second with a score of 150. In Category B (ages 55-59), Amitabh Poddar claimed the title with a total score of 151, followed by Jaideep Singh at 152, who also recorded the lowest round of the day with a 1-over-par. Category C (ages 60-64) was won by Jehangir Tankariwala with a solid total of 146, while Pushpendra Singh Rathore finished as runner-up on countback at 159. In Category D (ages 65-69), Dhananjay Date secured the win with a total of 158, with Viney Singh coming in second at 161. In Category E (70+), Vijay Kumar emerged victorious with a score of 165, followed by Navneet Singh at 169. Among the ladies, Paromita Mukherjee took top honours with a total score of 165, while Roopa Pratap followed closely at 167. These winners now lead the Order of Merit standings in their respective categories as the AVT Champions Tour 2025-26 season gets underway.

In the nett categories, Sandeep Chaudhury topped the leaderboard in the 0-9 handicap division with a score of 139, narrowly beating Arun Murugappan, who finished second at 140. In the 10-18 handicap division, Satyaprasad MK claimed the win with a total of 142, while Karthikeyan Krishnaswamy secured the runner-up position on countback at 144.

The team events brought added excitement among players from various cities. In the team nett category, both the winner and runner-up positions were taken by teams from Madras. The winning team of Arun Murugappan, Venkatesh Sundaravardhanam, Nandakumar Natarajan, and K Kumaran posted a total score of 428, while the runner-up team comprising Keshav Murthy, Jitinder Singh Ahuja, Dayamay Tiwari, and Raju Gowda followed closely. In the team gross category, the home team from Bangalore, consisting of David D’Souza, Paromita Mukherjee, Jehangir Tankariwala, and Suhas Kulkarni, delivered a strong performance to win with a score of 452. The team from Chandigarh, featuring Sandeep Sandhu, Padamjit Sandhu, Jaspreet Bakshi, and Kush Sama, finished second with a score of 465.

 The event concluded with a grand prize distribution ceremony where all winners were honoured for their outstanding performances. A special moment of the evening was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Raian Irani, former President of the Indian Golf Union, in recognition of his lifelong contribution to the game of golf in India. The AVT Champions Tour KGA event ended on a high note, setting the tone for an exciting season ahead.