With Avantha title,SSP gets a second wind

Every time he hit a birdie on Sunday - and he hit seven of them - he was reluctant to raise his hand in acknowledgment.

Every time he hit a birdie on Sunday – and he hit seven of them – he was reluctant to raise his hand in acknowledgment. Later in the evening,after his 15-under 273 total gave him his second win on the European Tour,SSP Chowrasia was even more shy to raise the Avantha Masters trophy. Only a wide smile signaled his relief at another three seasons of exemption on the European Tour – one month after the previous card that he got after the breakthrough Indian Masters win in 2008 had expired. Once he collected his 300,000 euros winners cheque,SSP unfolded his speech,written hurriedly on a crumpled paper and only consisting of thank yous.

One of the reasons for his unease in the limelight was the fact that he wasnt prepared for it. In fact,nobody was. But just like he had surprised an elite field at the Delhi Golf Club three years ago,SSP came out of nowhere into the reckoning over the past three days and eventually lifted the trophy at the DLF Golf and Country Club – lest we forget,amid a field that boasted of several Ryder Cup stars,Asian Tour stalwarts and an injury-free Jeev Milkha Singh.

The win might not be the grandest of his career – the $2.5 million Indian Masters still is the biggest event to have been played on Indian soil – but it might be the most significant,coming as it does on the back of three years of poor finishes and missed cuts. The last time he won,he was at least a consistent performer on the domestic and Asian Tour. Since February 2008,however,playing in Europe,he could post only one top-10 finish.

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As his numbers shot up,his confidence hit an all-time low,so much so that he even lost the self-belief to win again. Hoping to start all over again,SSP entered this tournament with a modest target: to make the cut and be competitive. For three weeks,he practiced at his home club – the Royal Calcutta Golf Club – and played two domestic tour events as preparation. After the Indian Masters win,my swing had become so off that I was wondering how did I even win a tournament. But having struggled for a long time,this time I had the hunger in me. This time when I play in Europe,I would have already learned my lessons by playing in tight European courses and in extreme weather conditions so this stint will definitely be better, said SSP. Just like his career,the final day proved to be no less eventful. One stroke behind the leader on Saturday with a 10-under 206,SSP was on fire on Sunday morning hitting a blemish-free front nine,with birdies on the 1st,4th,7th and 8th. On the back nine too,he picked up three more strokes to take the sole lead with 17-under,before make an error that could have cost him the title.

On the 16th hole,SSPs drive went way too left and his chip shot found the fringe of the green. He three putted a 10-footer for par to make a double bogey. His brother,who was caddying for him,tried to hide the disappointment as SSP was now sharing the lead with Saturdays leader Robert Coles,who still had seven holes to go.

Though SSP went straight to the driving range expecting a playoff,little did he realise that nerves would get the better of the Englishman,who had never been so close to winning. Coles did not have a single birdie on the back nine,missed a simple 4-foot putt on the 17th and then went on to bogey on the 18th to give Chowrasia an easy victory.