Om Prakash Chouhan displayed nerves of steel in a close finish as he won the Rs 1 crore SSP Chawrasia Invitational golf tournament to secure his 11th career title and fourth of the season here on Sunday.
Om Prakash (70-69-70-73), the overnight leader by four shots, was not at his best this day as he shot a one-over 73 but closed out the match in style with a last hole birdie to triumph by one shot for a total of six-under 282 at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).
American rookie Varun Chopra (73-72-69-69) took the runner-up spot at five-under 283 after shooting the day’s joint lowest score of 69.
The 37-year-old ‘OP’, as Om Prakash is popularly known, walked away with the winning cheque worth Rs 15 lakh that saw him become the first player to cross the INR 1 crore barrier in season’s earnings on the PGTI.
Om Prakash, who originally hails from Mhow in Madhya Pradesh but is now attached with the Kalhaar Blues and Greens golf course in Ahmedabad, further extended his lead in the TATA Steel PGTI Ranking as his season’s earnings moved to Rs 1,13,80,559, giving him a lead of more than Rs 39 lakh over second-placed Karan Pratap Singh.
Om Prakash began his day with a birdie on the first hole but then lost his way with four bogeys over the next 13 holes as he struggled with his putting, missing a few putts from short range and thereby conceding a one-shot lead to 24-year-old Chopra.
However, Om Prakash made a final push with a gallant effort on the closing stretch as he sank a 10-footer birdie on the 15th and followed that up with a great chip-putt and another crucial 10-feet conversion for par on the 17th.
He finally wrapped it up with a terrific approach shot on the 18th that landed four feet from the flag and set up the winning birdie for him.
“I normally play attacking golf but today I played a little conservatively to begin with. I wasn’t happy about that approach and about taking the match to the last hole despite having a comfortable overnight lead,” he said.
“But I’m delighted that I came through in the high-pressure situation at the end when it mattered the most. Having closed out a few matches earlier in the year, I had that quiet confidence that I can do it again.
“I was struggling with my driver on the front-nine, so I decided not to use the driver on the back-nine and instead use the 3-wood and rescue clubs. That change in strategy paid off.”
He said the crucial chip-putt for par on the 17th was the highlight of his round.
US-based Chopra bagged his second runner-up finish of the year and a cheque of Rs 10 lakh that pushed him up from 31st to 16th position in the Order of Merit.
Angad Cheema’s (70) consistent season continued as he finished third at four-under 284 and climbed two spots to ninth place in the money list.
Udayan Mane and Rashid Khan claimed the tied fourth place at two-under 286.
