Chowrasia completes a title three-peat with NexGen Varanasi win

Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia on his way to a third straight title win, this time in Varanasi, and playing rights on the main tour for 2027. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.

By Rahul Banerji

Sunit Chowrasia sealed his title hat-trick with a four-shot victory in the inaugural Rs 25 lakh DP World PGTI NexGen – Varanasi at the BLW Greens Golf Course on Thursday.

Kolkata’s Chowrasia (67-64-73) finished the week on 6 under par 204 with a closing 3 over 73 to claim his third consecutive title on the NexGen series, the DP World PGTI said. 

The result followed triumphs at the Alpha Sports Academy Golf Championship at Patna in March and last week’s Vijay Kumar Memorial in Lucknow.

The win earned Chowrasia Rs 3,17,875 and saw him emerge as the 2026 NexGen Order of Merit champion with total earnings of Rs 10,04,393 and earned exemption on the DP World PGTI Tour for 2027.

Mathura’s Mukeem Ali (67-68-73), one of three first round leaders, shared second place on 2 under 208 with Kolkata’s Souvik Nayak (69-69-70), who wrapped up a consistent week.

Starting from the first hole in the shotgun format, Chowrasia, playing his fifth event of the season, was tested throughout the day. 

He had a double bogey on the par-3 sixth hole and dropped another shot on the par-5 ninth during a difficult opening stretch. 

Calm response

However, the 31-year-old tackled the situation with composure, mixing two birdies with two bogeys on the back nine to safely close out his title run despite not having the best scoring day.

Reflecting on the victory, Chowrasia said, “It feels great. Securing my card for next season on the main tour is a big achievement and gives me a lot of confidence going forward. 

“Now the focus shifts to preparing myself to compete consistently at that level and becoming a stronger player.”

The three-time winner credited his recent success to patience and trusting the process.

“I’m obviously very happy with where my game is right now. The last few weeks have been special and it’s satisfying to see the hard work paying off. 

“I’ve tried to keep things simple, trust my process and focus on playing one shot at a time,” he said.

The victory was particularly meaningful considering his journey back from injury.

“It was difficult because all I wanted to do was play golf. Watching friends and fellow professionals compete while I was sidelined wasn’t easy, but I always believed I would come back. 

“To be standing here now after everything I’ve gone through makes it even more rewarding.

Special feeling

“When I’m out on the course competing and enjoying myself, it feels special. If I compare where I was three years ago to where I am today, it’s a completely different place, both physically and mentally.”

Looking ahead, Chowrasia added, “My immediate goal is to make the most of the opportunities on the main tour. I’ll also be looking at the Asian Tour Qualifying School later in the year. 

“For now, I’m enjoying this moment, but there’s still a lot more I want to achieve. I thank my uncle S.S.P. Chawrasia for standing by me and supporting me through the tough times.”

Nayak and Ali, the two joint runners-up, climbed the leaderboard on Thursday with scores of 70 and 73 respectively but could not make more of Chowrasia’s struggles.

Local favourite Hemant Yadav (69-64-77), an employee of Banaras Locomotive Works, slipped to a share of fourth with a 77 to total level par 210 alongside Gurgaon’s Nikhil Sharma (68-74-68) and Delhi’s Pawan Kumar (76-70-64).

Pawan produced one of the standout performances of the day, matching the course record of 6 under 64 set earlier by Chowrasia and equalled by Yadav.

Lucknow’s Rajesh Kumar Gautam (70-71-75) finished T17 at 6 over 216. His earnings of Rs 44,125 helped him retain second place on the Order of Merit with season earnings of Rs 7,25,185.

Also read: Sunit Chowrasia takes Varanasi lead with course record round

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