SSP Chawrasia took a two-shot lead into the back nine of the final round of the Hero Indian Open as he attempted to finally claim victory at his national open.
The home favourite has finished second four times at this event, including last season when he was defeated in a play-off by countryman Anirban Lahiri, who once again emerged as a challenger at Delhi Golf Club.
Chawrasia came into Sunday with a four-shot advantage over Lahiri but that was soon wiped out before a birdie on the eighth and a Lahiri bogey on the next gave him a two-shot cushion at the turn.
Julien Quesne and Jeunghun Wang were alongside Lahiri at 12 under with ten players within four shots of the lead.
Lahiri made gains on the first and second and when Chawrasia failed to take advantage of the par five opener for the first time this week after finding the trees, his mind may have drifted back to last season when his countryman overturned a seven-shot deficit to beat him.
Lahiri then rolled in a third birdie from 35 feet on the third and all of a sudden he was just a single shot off the lead.
Pars followed for the leading duo but when Chawrasia found the greenside rough with his second shot on the sixth, he could not get up and down and a run of 15 pars was broken.
Frenchman Quesne had made birdies on the first and fifth and when he rolled in a 12-footer for eagle on the eighth, he was a shot off top spot.
South Korea's Wang joined him at 12 under with a birdie on the eighth to go with gains on the third and fourth and Chawrasia then recorded his first gain of the day on the par five.
The 37 year old got lucky as his second shot ran through the bunker helping him to make birdie, while Lahiri found the trees and had to make do with a par to fall a shot off the lead.
Lahiri then found the sand on the ninth and while he failed to get up and down, Chawrasia made his par to establish a cushion.
Australian Terry Pilkadaris and Brazil's Adilson da Silva were at 11 under, a shot clear of Grégory Havret, Rashid Khan, N Thangaraja and Angelo Que.
