Udayan Mane Clinches IGPL Trophy with Dominant Performance in South Africa
Udayan Mane's Triumph at IGPL Invitational
Udayan Mane has secured his first IGPL Trophy by winning the IGPL Invitational in South Africa, finishing an impressive seven shots ahead of the renowned Gaganjeet Bhullar at the prestigious Royal Johannesburg's West Course. Mane, who maintained a share of the lead from the outset, faced early challenges with two bogeys in the first four holes after a flawless start in the previous two days. However, he quickly bounced back, achieving seven birdies over the next 14 holes, culminating in a final score of 67 and a remarkable victory, as reported in a press release.
This victory follows a third-place finish at the AM Green IGPL Mauritius just a week prior, marking a significant return to form for Mane.
With outstanding rounds of 65 and 64 in the first two days, his final round of 67 brought his total to 20-under, the best score of the season so far.
Bhullar finished in second place at 13-under, while Manav Shah took third with a total of 12-under.
Mane's Impressive Comeback
Despite Bhullar's strong performance throughout the tournament, he struggled with putting, finishing with only one bogey over three days. He expressed a desire for more putts to drop but acknowledged the enjoyable experience and the quality of the course. The AM Green IGPL will continue in Africa with the upcoming AM Green IGPL Invitational Congo next week.
Mane's seven-shot victory is the largest margin this season, making him the third different winner, following Bhullar in Chandigarh and Sachin Baisoya in Mauritius.
"Winning after more than four years feels incredible," said Mane, whose last victory on the Indian tour was in late 2021. The Olympian has now claimed 12 professional titles.
He expressed excitement about overcoming his long-standing winless streak at such a prestigious venue, hoping to maintain this momentum throughout the season.
A Memorable Hole-in-One
Reflecting on his hole-in-one achieved a day earlier, Mane shared, "It genuinely surprised me, as they often do. It was a pitching wedge shot, and I was fortunate to have Manav (Shah) ahead of me to help gauge the wind. I committed to my shot, and it went in."
On a lighter note, he humorously remarked, "Whenever I do something remarkable, the camera isn't there, but when I make a mistake, it seems to be right there."
Mane, who led by six shots after two days, started with a bogey but quickly regained his lead with birdies on the fifth, sixth, and ninth holes. He continued to excel on the back nine, adding birdies on the 10th, 11th, 16th, and 18th holes to secure his well-deserved victory.
This season has been promising for Mane, especially after a challenging 2025 where he did not finish in the Top 3 in any of his seven starts.
Leaderboard Highlights
Shaurya Binu recorded the best score of the week with a final round of 63.
The standout performers on the last day included Shaurya Binu (63) and veteran Shiv Kapur (64), both of whom climbed the leaderboard significantly, finishing tied for fourth.
Musiwalo Nethunzwi from South Africa had a steady final round of 71, securing the top local finisher position at 9-under, while Karandeep Kochhar (70) ended in seventh place at 8-under.
Young talent Raghav Chugh (71) tied for eighth with Harshjeet Singh Sethie (69) at 7-under, while Alessio Graziani (73) completed the Top 10.
Pukhraj Singh Gill faced difficulties with three bogeys on his front nine, finishing tied for 11th with first-round co-leader Milind Soni (73) at 5-under.
The previous week's runner-up in Mauritius, Veer Ganapathy (70-70-73), tied for 17th alongside Mauritius winner Sachin Baisoya (68-74-71) at 3-under.
Current Standings and Team Competition
In the individual standings, Bhullar leads with Rs. 39,96,800, followed by Sachin Baisoya (Rs. 34,17,550) in second place, while Udayan Mane's victory has propelled him to third with Rs. 32,61,000.
Mane's outstanding performance has also elevated his team, Atri Mumbai, to the top of the overall team standings, which includes players Aman Raj, Aadil Bedi, and Tushar Pannu.
Although Green Fuels Vizag claimed this week's honors, they were surpassed by Atri Mumbai, who now lead the overall standings with 170 points as the team competition continues until December.
Green Fuels, featuring Manav Shah, Alessio Graziani, Milind Soni, and Danish Verma, are in second place overall with 150 points.
Atri finished third in Joburg, just behind Honer Homes Gurugram, whose Shaurya Binu's remarkable 9-under 63 in the final round made a significant impact.
Honer Homes are tied for second with Atri at 150 points despite their second-place finish in Joburg, with players Binu, Pukhraj Singh Gill, Shar Mishra, and Digraj Singh Gill.
The next event on the calendar is the AM Green IGPL Invitational Congo scheduled for the upcoming week.