EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters

Posted by 4moles Editorial Desk 13 Aug 08'

Ernie Els teeing off on Hole No. 1

It was a day that will be etched in gold in the annals of Indian sports. Three wins in a day!!! While the Indian cricket team beat Australia in the first ODI and Prakash Amritraj got the better of the Uzbeks in the Davis Cup, February 10, 2008 will also be remembered for an unforgettable feat at the Delhi Golf Club. This feat was accomplished by a diminutive golfer going by the name of SSP Chowrasia. The USD 2.5 million EMAAR-MGF Indian Open was the first ever European Tour event staged in India and the field included some of the biggest names in European and Asian golf.

SSP Chowrasia who began the tournament as a rank underdog submitted a flawless card of five-under 67 on the final day to propel Indian golf to a different strata altogether.

The conditions were not amenable and the weather was not at its best when the multi-million dollar event started at the Delhi Golf Club course. Jyoti Randhawa, Damien McGrane and Raphael Jacquelin led on the first three days respectively, but the Kolkatan sneaked in at the last moment and with a card of five under- 67, claimed the winner's cheque of Rs 1.61 crore along with the winner's trophy and an Omega watch.

Nearly 8,000 spectators followed the leader group of Chowrasia and Arjun Atwal in anticipation of an Indian win the biggest prize money tournament ever to be staged on Indian shores. Atwal faltered on the final day giving in to pressure. Chowrasia did not let pressure take away the best of his game as he kept his cool.

Starting the day with a total of four-under for three days, Chowrasia was tied fifth overnight. He started the final day on a positive note with a birdie on the first. Birdies followed on the third, fourth and the seventh. Four-under at the turn, Chowrasia essayed another birdie on the 11^th following this up with a string of pars. Pressure and tension was pretty evident on his face as he neared the 18th where he lost the chance of taking the lead courtesy a missed birdie putt, not 24 hours ago.

"I was quite tense when I came to the 18th, but more than coming on to the green, I was tense at the tee box because there were a few people walking across. I took my time on the tee shot, and after that I was relieved and much more relaxed".

Chowrasia's tee shot found the centre of the fairway. This set up a par that saw him take a two-stroke lead over the field. The rest is history.

Meanwhile Ireland's Damien McGrane, with his three-day scores of 67, 69 and 75, was in close contention. He too happened to birdie the first hole and essayed two more on the sixth and eighth, while dropping a shot on the seventh on his way out. It appeared that McGrane would narrow down the two-stroke lead but he went on to drop another shot on the tenth on the back nine. Soon after, he birdied the 11^th. However a bogey on the 17th, opened up a three stroke gap between him and the leader Chowrasia. Then he narrowed the gap by picking up a shot on the 18th. McGrane did well by carding 70, but he had to be content with the second position.

Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara finished third as he ended two strokes behind at five-under. Lare played to level-par to claim the sole third position. Meanwhile overnight leader Raphael Jacquelin fell off the lead, carding a two-over 74, finishing tied fourth along with India's Digvijay Singh (70) at four-under. Digvijay missed out on scripting a glorious finish with a missed eagle on the 18^th. India's Gaurav Ghei shot a 71 to finish in joint sixth place alongside South African star Ernie Els, who carded a similar score. Also tiedd sixth were Thomas Bjorn, Maarten Lafeber and Ross McGowen.

Chowrasia's two-ball partner, Arjun Atwal, could not live up to expectations and fizzled out in the final round to end at tied fifteenth. Atwal had a bad final day. He dropped shots on the front nine on the third and ninth after birdying the opening hole. On the back nine, the US-based Indian was completely out of focus as he bogeyed the tenth, 14th, 17th and the 18th and shot a forgettable four-over 76. A birdie on the 11^th did nothing to aid his cause. Still the crowd puller gave steady company to the winner. Another Indian hope, Jyoti Randhawa 'lost heart' after the first day when he realised that he was out of contention and finished tied 22nd on the leaderboard.

After this historical win, Chowrasia earned his full playing rights on the European Tour for three years and exemption on the Asian Tour.