Ahmedabad, Oct 23 (IANS) The 22-year-old Indian amateur Arin Ahuja won the PGTI Qualifying School 2026-27 by a one-shot margin after returning a gritty even-par 72 in the fourth and final round of the Final Qualifying Stage played at the Kensville Golf & Country Club in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Noida-based Arin (70-73-70-72), appearing at the PGTI Qualifying School for the first time, totalled three-under 285 for the week. India’s Vedant Sirohi (71-71-73-71) and Bangladesh’s Md Siddikur Rahman (69-73-71-73) finished joint runners-up at a total of two-under 286.
The cut in the final round went at 15-over 203, with the top 48 players earning their full cards for the 2026-27 PGTI season.
The top 48 players included four amateurs. There were also five foreigners (four Bangladeshis and one Sri Lankan) among the 48 players who earned their full cards.
Arin Ahuja, a winner of one title at the junior level and ranked India No. 2 on the amateur circuit in 2024, fought back brilliantly after early troubles in round four.
Arin, who was overnight tied second, one shot off the lead, struggled with his irons early on day four, missing a few greens and dropping three bogeys on the first five holes. Ahuja, son of an Army Officer, kept himself in the hunt, with some crucial par saves from 10 to 15 feet on the seventh and eighth as his putting began to click.
Arin then came up with an outstanding approach shot and a 12-foot conversion to pick up an eagle on the 14th that got him back in the contest. With momentum on his side, Ahuja rolled in two more long birdie conversions on the 15th and 17th to take the lead. Despite Arin’s bogey on the 18th, he had done enough to emerge champion by one shot.
Arin, excited at the prospect of playing his first season as a professional on the DP World PGTI, said, “It’s been a solid week for me. I thank my coach Rahul Bajaj for his guidance. I made a poor start today, but I’m proud of the way I kept my cool and fought back towards the end. After the eagle on the 14th, I knew I had a good chance to win. I then took it one shot at a time. My putting was the key to my success this week.
“My strength has always been hitting it straight and keeping it in play. I did that well this week too. I’ve had some consistent performances as an amateur over the past three years, which led to my decision to take a shot at the DP World PGTI Qualifying School. This win is a big morale-booster for me, and I now plan to turn professional very soon.”
The 2026-27 PGTI season will now begin with the IndianOil SERVO Masters scheduled to be staged from November 17 to 20 in Digboi, Assam.
–IANS
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