From behind to champion: Om Prakash Chouhan’s stunning late surge seals golf title

Om Prakash Chouhan (69-67-64-64), who was overnight tied third and one shot off the lead, delivered a six-under 64 in round four to take his tournament total to 16-under 264 and secure his first win in over two years.

The 39-year-old Chouhan’s last day performance featuring eight birdies and two bogeys saw him walk away with the winning cheque worth rupees  22,50,000.

Om Prakash, who hails from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, but is attached with the Kalhaar Blues & Greens golf course in Ahmedabad, climbed from 16th to fourth position in the DP World PGTI Order of Merit as a result of his victory.

Shaurya Bhattacharya (64-62-73-66), the leader for the first three days and Manu Gandas (66-69-64-66), the joint leader after round three, finished tied second with matching totals of 15-under 265.

Both Shaurya and Manu, who were in the hunt for the title for most part of the final round, fired scores of 66 on Friday.

Kshitij Naveed Kaul, another contender in round four, ended the week with a 65 to finish fourth at 14-under 266.

Om Prakash Chouhan brought his ‘A’ game to the Tollygunge Club course on Friday to end his two-year-long winless streak.

Former DP World PGTI Order of merit champion ‘OP’ as he is popularly known in golfing circles, began the last day with an early bogey on the second hole but made a strong comeback with four birdies on the front-nine thanks to some solid putting as he drained putts from a range of 10 to 20 feet on three occasions.

OP’s three-putt bogey on the 11th didn’t dishearten him as he fought back once again with birdies on the next four holes. His birdie run on the back-nine came as a result of his accurate approach shots that left him with as many as three conversions within five feet.

On the 18th hole, OP brought all his experience to the fore to close out the match with a 10-feet par conversion.

Om Prakash said, “The long conversions on the front-nine today gave me a lot of confidence. Then, I feel after dropping a bogey on the 11th when I birdied the 12th that provided me with momentum and self-belief that I stood a chance and could close out the match. While making the par putt on the 18th, I took my time to read the line as there was a lot at stake for me.”

Manu Gandas’ long birdie conversion on the final hole helped him finish tied second. Shaurya Bhattacharya’s birdies on the 15th and 17th kept him in contention till the end before he too ended as joint runner-up. 

Among the Kolkata-based players, Divyanshu Bajaj recorded the best finish as he tied 25th place at three-under 277.