Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant won his third Asian Tour title this season at the Hero Indian Open by defeating Richie Ramsay on the first play-off hole.
Wiratchant birdied the last hole in regulation play when his seven iron approach landed a foot from the hole as he closed with five under par 66.
Overnight leader Ramsay needed a par putt on the last to win but made a three-putt bogey for a 68 as the duo returned to the par four 18th at the Karnataka Golf Association course.
On a day filled with drama, Ramsay blasted his tee shot into a watery creek, his third shot landed over the back of the green and he chipped ten feet past the hole as he two-putted for double bogey.
Wiratchant, who won the Hero Indian Open in 2005, made a two putt bogey for the win after hitting his second shot into the greenside bunker. He was stunned by his victory which propelled him to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect to win with the way I was driving the ball this week,” he said.
“It means a lot that I’ve won a second Hero Indian Open title and that I’m now leading the Asian Tour Order of Merit.”
Ramsay, who was playing on a sponsor’s invitation, rued an unlucky break in the play-off as his remarkable third shot, which he hit over the trees, landed in a pitch mark just over the green.
“I stayed committed to every shot but Thaworn played good,” he said. “It was mine to win and a very strange thing happened on the last because I’ve been excellent under pressure the whole week.
“I had a great third shot in the play-off which landed at the back of the green. If there was a good lie, I would have fancied knocking that in. I could have gotten a very easy up-and-down but it was lying in a bad pitch mark. Some days, things just don’t go your way.”
