Chowrasia bounces back to clinch title

NEW DELHI: "Aaye he toh jeetne ke liye he aaye hain," SSP Chowrasia bounces back to clinch titleSSP Chowrasia had proclaimed before the start of the tournament. Finding himself four behind leader Rahil Gangjee on the opening day, his was the voice of reason: "Under-par is always good."
Having experienced the ecstasy of winning two co-sanctioned Asian and European Tour events, including the 2008 Indian Masters, at the same Delhi Golf Club, the 36-year-old knew all that counted was the sum of the parts over four days."Seize the day" must have been his morning mantra on the final day of the $300,000 Panasonic Open. But five strokes off the pace in tied 11th place, he could not have foreseen the events unfolding on the 18th in the late afternoon.
Three of the friendliest golfers on the Asian Tour went out for a shootout. Leader on the first three days, Rahil Gangjee must have gone through a myriad of emotions in his topsy-turvy round but he railed back at his fading luck with a birdie finish to make the playoff. Sri Lankan Mithun Perera ensured that it was not only on the cricket pitch a match was being played.Chowrasia was the first in the clubhouse with a 12-under total, having conjured up five birdies on the backnine for a 6-under 66, including a hattrick from 15th to 17th.
He eagerly waited for his rivals and fortune.
Three wide smiles greeted on the 18th tee as the hunt for an Asian Tour title began. Gangjee was all aggression but his drive landed way off the fairways in the bushy rough. SSP , consistent as ever, went all regulation and so did Perera but while the latter could not convert his 10-foot birdie putt, Chowrasia ended the day with a signature stroke. A 15-foot birdie sealed what looked like an unlikely victory at the beginning.
The Kolkatan, however, believed he was always on course. " At the start of the day, I was thinking that if I could shoot a four or five-under, I will have a chance to win. I was confident I could catch the leader. I played very well on the back nine and the hat-trick of birdies proved to be the turning point," explained SSP , who will now head to Girona, Spain for the European Q-School Final Stage.
For 36-year-old Gangjee, it was a tale of what could have been. Having led all the way , the Kolkatan had to deal with the vagaries of golf once again, dropping three strokes in seven holes. He fought back with birdies on the eighth and ninth and a rip-roaring eagle on the par-5 15th. After that was the lull as his putter suddenly froze as he three-putted on 16th and missed birdie opportunities to seal the deal.
Leading final scores: 276 SSP Chowrasia (IND) 70-71-69-66, Mithun Perera (SRI) 70-67-69-70, Rahil Gangjee (IND) 66-68-7171. (Chowrasia won on the extra-hole 18th in the playoff); 277 Shubhankar Sharma (IND) 73-65-68-71; 278 Akinori Tani (JPN) 71-72-67-68, Unho Park (AUS) 69-71-68-70, Siddikur Rahman (BAN) 70-67-69-72.