Om Prakash Chouhan secured a dream maiden European Challenge Tour victory on home soil at the Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge.
The Indian posted a closing bogey-free seven under par round of 65 to reach 20 under par at Karnataka Golf Association and win by two, with Englishman Ashley Chesters and Spaniard Victor Pastor sharing second place on 18 under par.
The 36-year-old entered the fourth round two shots off the lead but after carding seven birdies he was delighted to climb to the top of the leaderboard in Bangalore.
“I’m thrilled,” he said. “It’s a huge achievement for me as I had never won an international title before.
“Today I just wanted to focus on my strengths and not drop any shots. I had thought that a score of five to six under par would be ideal today but those around me told me to target seven under. I would like to thank them for motivating me as I did manage to end up with a seven under par 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 followed up a good par on the 14th with a crucial birdie on the 15th that set the tone for my good finishing stretch. The birdie on the 15th was key as it helped me equal the lead. I knew something special was on the cards from there on.”
Chouhan is a seven-time TATA Steel PGTI winner but he will now look to continue his golfing journey in Europe following his dream breakthrough victory.
“I definitely have plans to play on the Challenge Tour in Europe now,” he said. “This win opens a lot of doors for me so I’m quite excited about the opportunities ahead.”
South African JJ Senekal remains in pole position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings on 430 points, while Sweden's Adam Blomme is 48 points behind in second.
Overnight leader Lorenzo Scalise finished fourth on 16 under par, while Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg was a shot further back in fifth.
Welshman Oliver Farr and Scotland's Craig Howie shared sixth on 14 under par, while Indian Aman Raj, Scotsman Liam Johnston and Italian Andrea Pavan finished eighth on 12 under.
The Road to Mallorca remains at Karnataka Golf Association for The Challenge presented by KGA from March 28-31, 2023.
