Sublime Chawrasia breaks Indian Open jinx

The long wait is finally over for S.S.P. Chawrasia. He arrived at the Delhi Golf Course with a belief that he could break his Indian Open jinx, and riding on a consistent game throughout the week he achieved his target on Sunday.

A four-time runner-up at the event, Chawrasia birdied the last hole to clinch the $1.66 million Hero Indian Open title and his third European Tour crown by two strokes at the venerable course. He ended the week on 15-under 275, after a round of one-under par 71.

In doing so, the 37-year-old also secured his playing rights on the European Tour which he had lost in 2014, and almost cemented his place in the Rio Olympics squad alongside the 52nd-ranked Anirban Lahiri.

“It is a very important day for me. I have finished second four times in the Indian Open and every time that happen to me I wondered if I would become the champion one day,” said Chawrasia, who got richer by $276,660.

“Last year Anirban won, so it was at the back on my mind from the start that he might win it this time too. The important thing for me was to hold my nerves.”

Going into the final with a two-stroke lead, Chawrasia had to overcome the challenge of Lahiri (69) and Korean rising star Wang Jeunghun (68), who stayed close on the heels of him throughout 18 holes. The duo eventually finished tied second on 13-under 275.

Besides, numerous players came within striking distance when Chawrasia was one-over after 12 holes. He, however, rallied with a birdie on the 13th before producing a sublime chip on the last hole to set up his winning three foot birdie putt, which even invited applause from Lahiri.

Meanwhile, Lahiri also had a birdie chance on the last hole after being awarded a free hit, but could only manage a par. “There was a lot of pressure on me on the last hole but I had to say thank God when Anirban missed his birdie putt! I played a great chip there and when he missed I knew I would win the tournament,” smiled Chawrasia, who won his fourth Asian Tour title.

Earlier in the day, Lahiri had piled the pressure on Chawrasia when he birdied his opening three holes but struggled to keep the pace. In fact, Lahiri was tied for the lead after Chawrasia dropped his day’s first shot on the sixth.

Among other Indians, Rashid Khan, also in contention, settled for tied sixth after a battling 72, ahead of Rahil Gangjee (72) and Shiv Kapur (70) who ended in tied 10th on nine-under 279.

Meanwhile, Phillipnies Angelo Que’ 65, the best card on the day, helped him make the biggest move on Sunday. He finished tied fourth alongside Brazil’s Adilson da Silva (69) on 12-under.