Kolkata’s Viraj Madappa won the Chennai Open 2026 on 11 September at the TNGF Cosmo Golf Course, finishing at 22 under par to beat Ajeetesh Sandhu by one stroke and take the ₹15 lakh winner’s cheque, the Free Press Journal reported. The four-day event, the tournament’s fifth edition, carried a ₹1 crore purse on the Professional Golf Tour of India, with Chennai Petroleum Corporation (CPCL) as title partner.
The win brought professional golf back into the city news after a long gap. Chennai has only two full courses, both in the Guindy area, and both run by member bodies rather than the government. Here is how they work, how juniors can get in, and what is changing around them.
The two courses
TNGF Cosmo Golf Course. The course is linked to the Tamil Nadu Golf Federation (TNGF) and the Cosmopolitan Club, which ended a decade-long dispute over it on 28 October 2022 through mediation by retired judge L Nageswara Rao, DT Next reported. The federation then built a new club house, and its president said it would be open to all active golfers, not only TNGF members. This is the course that hosted the 2026 Chennai Open.
Madras Gymkhana Golf Annexe, Guindy. The Madras Gymkhana Golf Club was formed in 1877, and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews presented it a silver shield in 2002 to mark 125 years of affiliation, DT Next reported. The course is dry and exposed to sea breeze, with few trees. It hosted the PGTI Chennai Open in October 2016. Play is mainly for club members and their guests. The annexe has kept an active club calendar, including a ‘Golfer of the Year’ award that added a seniors’ category in recent seasons. In June 2022 it held a 125th Year Open strokeplay event, won by Nikhil Cherian with a gross 74 on a countback.
Golf came to the city with the East India Company’s social clubs. Early Madras had no full 18-hole layout, and players are said to have ridden horses between holes to finish a round, the same DT Next report says. Heat has long been the local handicap: several Tamil Nadu golfers, including Chinnaswamy Muniyappa, moved to Bengaluru for cooler conditions.
The 2026 Chennai Open in brief
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 to 11 September 2026 |
| Purse | ₹1 crore |
| Field and cut | 132 players; 52 made the even-par cut |
| Winner | Viraj Madappa, 22 under (266) |
| Runner-up | Ajeetesh Sandhu, 21 under (267) |
Sandhu led after the second round at 13 under, the PGTI said, before Madappa overturned a three-shot deficit on the final day. The field included players from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan, the Czech Republic, Uganda, Nepal, the USA and Ireland, and Chennai-based professionals including S. Prasanth, S. John Royan, Ilayaraja C. and C. Arul, IANS reported. The defending champion was N. Thangaraja of Sri Lanka.
How juniors can start
The TNGF runs a junior programme. In a DT Next report on the state of Chennai golf, the programme offered free training to children who could not afford fees and a nominal fee of ₹2,500 a month for others. That figure is from an older report; ask the federation for current rates.
- Visit the TNGF club house with your child and ask about junior batches and trial sessions.
- Expect early-morning slots. Courses get hot by mid-morning for most of the year.
- Borrowed or second-hand half sets are fine to start. Many coaches lend clubs for the first few weeks.
- Regional junior tournaments are the route to national rankings once a child has a handicap.
The Guindy land question
Golf in Guindy sits next to one of the city’s biggest land issues. On 9 September 2024, the state government took control of 160.68 acres of the Madras Race Club’s leased land in Guindy after a long dispute over rent arrears, The South First reported. The state has spoken of public uses such as green spaces and parks. The Gymkhana golf annexe is a separate facility, and we found no official order affecting it. Golfers and residents should follow government announcements on the race course land for any changes in the area.
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Chennai Open golf?
Viraj Madappa, at 22 under par, one shot ahead of Ajeetesh Sandhu.
Where is golf played in Chennai?
At the TNGF Cosmo Golf Course and the Madras Gymkhana Golf Annexe, both in the Guindy area.
Can non-members play?
The TNGF has said its club house is open to all active golfers. Course access rules and green fees are set by each club, so ask before you go.
How old is golf in Chennai?
The Madras Gymkhana Golf Club dates from 1877.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Chennai Open 2026 set to begin at TNGF Cosmo Golf Course (IANS)
- Chennai Open 2026 second round report (Professional Golf Tour of India)
- Chennai Open 2026: Viraj Madappa wins by one stroke (Free Press Journal)
- Royal and Ancient connections, centenaries, competition on the links (DT Next)
- Chennai’s golf challenge (DT Next)
- Change, the eternal constant on golf courses (DT Next)
- Tamil Nadu government takes over Madras Race Club (The South First)
