SSP Chowrasia suffered heartbreak at the Indian Open as he once again missed the opportunity to win the prestigious event, finishing runner-up for the third time.
In a nerve-wracking final round, Chowrasia (13-under 275) and compatriot Anirban lahiri (13-under 275) lost the 50th edition of the Hero Indian Open to Bangladesh’s Mohammad Siddikur (14-under 274) by one stroke at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) here on Sunday. It was Siddikur’s first Asian Tour title since his career breakthrough victory at the Brunei Open in 2010.
Going to the last and final hole, Chowrasia was trailing Siddikur by just one stroke and a superb approach shot, which landed just five-foot away from the pin, put him in a very good position to force a play-off. But the Kolkatan missed the birdie putt to let go of the opportunity as he finished tied second with an even-par 72 which included four birdies against as many bogeys to the despair of his fans.
“I was not consistent. I was not playing good and made a lot of small mistakes. I had problems reading the lines. But the last three days I have putted well. I needed to make an important birdie putt on 18th hole but it didn’t happen. May be next time,” said Chowrasia.
Siddikur, on his part, had a bad day on the greens as he carded three-over 75, which included five birdies against as many bogeys plus a triple bogey on 15th, after accumulating 66, 66 and 67 on the first three days. The triple bogey followed by another on 16th meant he was tied with four other players for the first spot. But a 15-foot putt on 17th again put him in the lead. “I am so happy. After I won in Brunei, I struggled to win a tournament. It was a long day for me but it’s been the best golf of my life this week. Honestly, I didn’t put pressure on myself. I had some bad shots for bogeys but I had a good feeling that I would win this tournament. The putt on 17 was certainly the winning putt,” Siddikur, who won his second career title, said.
“I had a four-shot lead but on this golf course, I knew that Anirban (lahiri) and S.S.P. Chowrasia will not play it safe. They could have shot a low score. In that case, I didn’t play safe and continued playing aggressively.
“After winning Brunei in (2010) I was really hungry to win more tournaments but it didn’t happen. However, I still remained confident and I told myself that a big victory is coming my way. That big victory happened today,” he added.
lahiri, who started the last day with six shots behind Siddikur, began with the final round with two birdies and pushed himself into contention with three more birdies around the turn. But, the three-time Asian Tour champion failed to keep up the momentum after dropping a shot on 12th.
“I am very proud of my Hero Indian Open record. I was third some time back and last year I was fifth and now second. On the Asian Tour I have won once and this is my third second place this year. I have been putting myself in contention and giving myself a chance. So, I must be doing something right,” said lahiri.
One stroke behind Chowrasia and Anirban were the quartet of Rashid Khan (72), Baek Seuk-hyun of Korea (68), Chiragh Kumar (68) and Angelo Que (72) of Phillipines.