Indian golfer Anirban lahiri’s purple patch continued as he clinched the Hero Indian Open after a thrilling fight at the play-off with overnight leader SSP Chowrasia on a pulsating day at the prestigious Delhi Golf Club here on Sunday. With overnight leader Chowrasia returning with five-over 76, lahiri, who was seven strokes behind the Kolkata golfer after the third round, carded two-under 69 in regulation to go into the play-off after a roller-coaster day which saw fortunes fluctuate.
In the play-off, lahiri, the top-ranked golfer in the field, didn’t put a foot wrong as he fired a birdie in the 18th hole after Chowrasia failed to recover from a disappointing tee shot. World no 39 lahiri thus won his second European Tour title in three weeks. He had won the Maybank Malaysian Open earlier this month. “I’m shocked. I really didn’t think that I will be in this position considering the way SSP (Chowrasia) and Siddikur (Rahman) have been playing. I thought all of us were playing for third,” he said after the win.