By Rahul Banerji
In the end it was a thoroughly deserved maiden international title for Om Prakash Chouhan in the Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge at Bangalore’s KGA on Sunday.
The unassuming Ahmedabad-based golfer fired a stunning seven-under 65 on the final day to finish two shots ahead of the rest of the field much to the delight of the home crowd at the $300,000 event.
The 36-year-old from Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, totalled 20-under 268 while joint runners-up Ashley Chesters (67-68-68-67) of England and Spain’s Victor Pastor (72-64-67-67) tallied 18-under 270 at the event co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour and PGTI.
Aman Raj (67-68-71-70) took tied eighth place on 12-under 276 to finish as the second Indian in the top-10, the PGTI said.
It was an eighth professional title for Chouhan (70-67-66-65), helped seal a Challenge Tour card and landed his highest Sunday earnings of $48,000 (Rs 39.84 lakh).
The cheque also catapulted him from 16th to first place in the Tata Steel PGTI Rankings with season’s earnings of Rs 44,52,750.
Day of records
Among the other notable records set on Sunday, Chouhan became the third Indian to win on the Challenge Tour following Gaganjeet Bhullar (2011) and Shiv Kapur (two titles in 2013).
It was the first international win by an Indian on home soil since Khalin Joshi’s triumph at the Panasonic Open India in October 2018.
Om Prakash also equalled Udayan Mane’s 2017 record for the lowest winning total at KGA.
Chouhan, a winner of seven PGTI titles in the past, saved his best round for the last day as he went error-free with three birdies on the front nine and four more on his way back.
Over the first nine holes, ‘OP’ as he is known, hit his wedges close on a couple of occasions to pick up birdies and also made a great par save on the fifth after finding water.
After a birdie on 12 and salvaging a good par on 14, OP sank a crucial 10-foot birdie conversion on 15 to draw level with Chesters who led for much of the day.
Chouhan then extracted a birdie from a tough position on 17 with another long putt. A pro since 2002, he finally saw it home in style with a 10-foot birdie conversion on 18.
By then, the chasing pack needed something extraordinary to haul in the Indian, but that never materialised.
Chouhan said, “I’m thrilled. It’s a huge achievement for me as I had never won an international title previously.
“I definitely have plans to play on the Challenge Tour in Europe now. This win opens a lot of doors for me so I’m quite excited about the opportunities ahead.
Over the moon
“Just wanted to focus on my strengths and my game today and not drop any shots. I had targeted a seven-under at the start of the round.
“I’ve worked a lot on the mental aspect of my game lately. That has brought a lot of improvement in my game.
“In the past, if I dropped shots or made mistakes early in the round, I would generally start playing more aggressively. But now, I don’t let the errors affect my game too much.
“I would like to thank Devang Shah for allowing me to play regularly at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens golf course in Ahmedabad. It has made a huge difference to my game.”
“Also, Ragesh Vasa and Badresh for all their support, encouragement and valuable advice.”
Chesters (67) too had a bogey-free day while Pastor (67) made six birdies and a bogey as the duo couldn’t catch Chouhan in the final stages.
M. Dharma (70), playing at his home course, finished tied 21st on nine-under 279.
Also read: Late rally by Chouhan carries him into tied second at KGA
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