Chawrasia secures Tour card and Olympic spot with Indian Open triumph

Sport360 staff 07:43 21/03/2016
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  • SSP Chawrasia.

    Chawrasia, who finished second four times in his national Open prior to this win, was delighted to hold on to his overnight lead and cross the finishing line with a winning total of 15-under-par 273 in the event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

    Lahiri, the defending champion, missed his birdie attempt on the last for a 69 to settle for tied second place alongside Korean star Wang, who returned with a battling 68 at the challenging Delhi Golf Club.

    “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 ever be able to become the champion one day. This year, I came believing I had to win. I knew that I could do it,” said Chawrasia, who is now exempt on the European Tour for two years and has also secured a spot in the Olympics in Rio later this year.

    It was a close and dramatic battle in the final 18 holes as numerous players came within striking distance of Chawrasia’s lead when he was one-over after 12 holes.

    He rallied with a birdie on 13 and when it mattered most, produced a sublime chip on the last hole to set-up his winning three-foot birdie putt. Lahiri also had a birdie chance which he missed.

    “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 then when he missed I knew I would win the tournament,” added Chawrasia.

    “This win means so much to me. I don’t know how I will celebrate it. I will let my wife do that for me. Last year when I lost, she was crying. So now we can both enjoy this victory.”

    Lahiri put the early pressure on Chawrasia when he birdied his opening three holes but struggled to keep pace as he settled for joint runner-up.

    “It was pretty intense. I got off to a great start but lost a bit of momentum after that. I gave myself a lot of chances but missed quite a few from 15-20 feet. But at the end of day, SSP hung tough and played very well,” he said.

    “There is nothing sweeter than being the Indian Open champion. It was a disappointing finish after a promising start for me. But I am so happy for SSP. This win is really huge for him.”

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