Hero Indian Open 2015: Daily Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More
Anirban Lahiri saw off countryman S. S. P. Chawrasia in a play-off to win the Indian Open on Sunday, coming from seven shots adrift of the overnight leader to claim the victory and his second European Tour title. The European Tour’s official Twitter page revealed the news:
Lahiri earned his maiden tour title at the Malaysian Open just two weeks back and produced a similarly superb performance to catch Chawrasia at the top of leaderboard following Chawrasia's 18-hole collapse. Lahiri carded a two-under 69 to reach the seven-under total before needing just the one play-off hole to win the title.
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Here’s a look at the final leaderboard from a dramatic week of golf in New Delhi:
| Position | Golfer | To Par | Sunday's Round |
| 1 | Anirban Lahiri | -7 | 69 |
| 2 | S. S. P. Chawrasia | -7 | 76 |
| T3 | Marcus Fraser | -6 | 72 |
| T3 | Joakim Lagergren | -6 | 69 |
| T3 | Prayad Marksaeng | -6 | 71 |
| T3 | Mithun Perera | -6 | 69 |
| T7 | Richard McEvoy | -5 | 70 |
| T7 | Siddikur Rahman | -5 | 76 |
| T7 | Romain Wattel | -5 | 68 |
| 10 | Paul Peterson | -4 | 72 |
Day 4 Recap
Heading into the final day’s play, it looked like either Chawrasia or Siddikur Rahman would be the runaway champion of the Indian Open, but torrid conditions made for tough rounds for the duo, who started the day on 12-under and 10-under, respectively.
The former started the day in less-than-ideal fashion, following a bogey on the third hole with an ugly double on the par-four fourth to go three over par.
Lahiri, meanwhile, well and truly flew out of the traps, chalking up birdies on the first, second and fifth holes to propel himself into contention.
A pair of bogies either side of a birdie at the eighth saw the Indian at the tenth tee on two under par and seven-under for the tournament, but he still needed favours from Chawrasia and Rahman to head to the summit.
Fortunately for Lahiri, those favours duly arrived, with Rahman carding five bogies from his opening six back-nine holes and Chawrasia adding three more bogeys and a birdie to his topsy-turvy card.
Lahiri, meanwhile, was producing solid golf, and although he bogied the 14th, he bounced back with an emphatic chip-in birdie two holes later, as European Tour’s video shows:
That set up a play-off with his compatriot Chawrasia with both players on seven-under, while Rahman finished two shots off the pace.
The two Indians took to the par-five 18th hole, knowing that a home champion was going to be crowned no matter the outcome. However, there was only one man in the play-off.
Lahiri played the hole perfectly, laying up to around 100 yards after a solid tee shot, while Chawrasia found himself languishing in the rough and only able to make a five.
Having put his approach to within 15 feet, Lahiri rolled in the birdie putt to an enormous roar on the final green, per European Tour:
It was a quite remarkable performance from the 27-year-old, who was four over par after the opening 10 holes of the tournament and in danger of missing the cut.
He owes plenty of his fortune to the respective demises of Chawrasia and Rahman, but take nothing away from the grit and professionalism that he showed on the course.
Speaking with European Tour after his round, Lahiri reflected on a fine day’s work, saying that the triumph is a dream come true:
"It’s incredible—starting today I didn’t really think I had a chance. It was one of the toughest days ever that I’ve played golf at Delhi Golf Club and I’m really happy to have accomplished this: it’s a childhood dream. I was just trying to play well and give myself a chance on the back nine. There were about eight of us who could have pulled through so I feel really lucky and fortunate, and really happy.
"
Elsewhere, Frenchman Romain Wattel carded the joint-best round of the day with a three-under 68, taking him up nine places and in a share for seventh.
Richard McEvoy flew the English flag in Delhi, as his 70 was enough to join Wattel on five-under in the top 10.
The day belonged to Lahiri, though, who deserved to win a gripping tournament.
Next week, the European Tour touches down in Johannesburg for the Joburg Open. And with a similarly competitive field teeing it up, we can expect yet more fireworks.
Day 3 Recap
Another day, another strong performance from S.S.P. Chawrasia, who enters the final day of competition as the tournament leader after a round of two-under 69. The local hero holds a three-stroke lead over Bangladesh's Siddikur Rhaman, who went one shot worse on Saturday.
Marcus Fraser and Daniel Chopra are five and six strokes behind, respectively, and will need a minor miracle to have any hope of winning the tournament.
The leaderboard after three rounds of action:
| 1 | S.S.P. Chawrasia | -12 | 69 |
| 2 | Siddikur Rahman | -10 | 70 |
| 3 | Marcus Fraser | -7 | 67 |
| T4 | Daniel Chopra | -6 | 65 |
| T4 | Prayad Marksaeng | -6 | 69 |
| T6 | Anirban Lahiri | -5 | 70 |
| T6 | Paul Peterson | -4 | 71 |
| T8 | Adilson Da Silva | -4 | 68 |
| T8 | Mithun Perera | -4 | 70 |
| T8 | Joakim Lagergren | -4 | 73 |
Chawrasia had another fantastic day in Delhi, continuing his flawless play until the second-to-last hole of the day. The Indian star had yet to score a bogey throughout the event, but as shared by the European Tour's official Twitter feed, hole No. 17 proved to be too much:
The 36-year-old started his day with back-to-back birdies before scoring par on the remainder of the front nine, and he recorded one more birdie before arriving at the 17th.
Along the way, he showed skill isn't the only requirement to success, as a bad shot of the tee took a lucky bounce and ended up landing in favourable position:
Chawrasia has by far been the most consistent performer of the event, and sporting a three-shot lead heading into the final day, he looks like a safe bet to go home with the trophy.
Rhaman was on course to match the tournament leader before recording his second double bogey of the event, needing six strokes to land the 16th hole. He managed to dig himself out of the hole and end the day one-under 70, courtesy of a birdie on the final hole.
Sweden's Chopra was the strongest riser of the day, carding a round of six-under after coming into the day on par to move up to fourth place. Three birdies on the front nine were followed by a birdie on the back nine, before a fantastic eagle on the 18th sealed the fantastic result.
As shared by the event's official Twitter feed, Chopra credited a change in approach for the result:
Jason Palmer sits nowhere near the top 10 on the leaderboard but continues to entertain the Indian crowd with his unorthodox manner of chipping:
Going into the final round, the 2015 Hero India Open is Chawrasia's to lose. His score on Saturday was his worst of the tournament so far, and he still carded a very respectable two-under, enlarging his lead in the process.
Barring a complete meltdown on the final day, the local crowd will be cheering on their Indian hero as he receives this year's winner's trophy.
Day 2 Recap
S.S.P. Chawrasia carded a bogey-free four-under round of 67 to push himself into the lead at the Indian Open. The local favourite was part of a five-strong leading pack after Day 1, but has now established a one-shot advantage with a 10-under overall score.
Bangladesh's Siddikur Rahman is the current leader's closest competitor, highlighted below (Be sure to view the full leaderboard on the European Tour's official website):
| 1 | S.S.P. Chawrasia | -10 | 67 |
| 2 | Siddikur Rahman | -9 | 68 |
| T3 | Chapchai Nirat | -6 | 71 |
| T3 | Joakim Lagergren | -6 | 71 |
| T5 | Paul Peterson | -5 | 68 |
| T5 | Richard McEvoy | -5 | 67 |
| T7 | Prayad Marksaeng | -4 | 70 |
| T7 | Anirban Lahiri | -4 | 65 |
It was Rahman who broke clear of the group first. He experienced an up-and-down day, one composed of six birdies, a bogey and double-bogey. Rahman's major mishap on four proved to be vital as the session went on, with Chawrasia's consistency eventually giving him the lead.
The European Tour's official Twitter account provided further detail to Chawrasia's round, which included four birdies:
Chawrasia spoke of his confidence after taking the lead, per the European Tour's website:
"I feel good and aggressive—I will do the same on the last two days. I’m very happy because I saved a lot of pars: it wasn’t easy to keep the bogeys away from my card, I had to make a lot of saves.
It is tough when the wind changes direction but I know how to handle it here. I played well through the 2014 season and I started well this year as well, so I’m feeling very confident. I’m very excited for the next two days.
"
Chapchai Nirat and Joakim Lagergren—part of the leading group after Round 1—dropped four shots back of Chawrasia after both shooting par for the day. Nirat enjoyed a relatively simple route of two birdies and two bogeys, while Lagergren's four bogeys ensured he had to work hard to make the par 71.
American Paul Peterson and Englishman Richard McEvoy are one shot further back on five-under after shooting 68 and 67 for the day.
An improved performance from Anirban Lahiri saw him rise up the rankings. His followed a disappointing opening round of two-over 73 with a far more assertive display in front of the local crowd. Lahiri still tallied three bogeys on his way to six-under 65, but his prospects are looking far more healthy on an overall score of four-under par.
He is joined by Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng in tied seventh, a player who aced the par three hole five with a terrific dink, highlighted by the European Tour feed:
The ever-present Miguel Angel Jimenez endured a difficult route to par for the day. His six birdies were tarnished by four bogeys and a double-bogey on the pesky 418-yard par four, which continues to catch players out. The European Tour highlighted a perfect alignment in Jimenez's play, however:
Jimenez currently resides tied 18th, one-under for the competition. Englishman Jason Palmer is also included in this selection after ending Friday with a par of his own. His one-handed chipping style certainly differentiates him from the rest:
Chawrasia's consistency puts him in an excellent position heading into the weekend. He is proving remarkably calm on a difficult course, never over-complicating matters along a route which is known to punish. It's this thoughtfulness which currently has him in the lead.
Rahman will be more than confident of retaining his crown, however, and is likely to aggressively attack Chawrasia's score on Saturday.
Day 1 Recap
Candanian Richard T. Lee and Indian favourite S.S.P. Chawrasia are among the five-strong group who split the lead with an opening six-under round of 65 in Delhi on Thursday.
Bangladesh's Siddikur Rahman, who won this tournament the last time it took place in 2013, is included in the leading pack.
You can check the current batch of top ranking players below (Be sure to view the full leaderboard on the European Tour's official website):
| T1 | Richard T. Lee | -6 | 65 |
| T1 | S.S.P. Chawrasia | -6 | 65 |
| T1 | Chapchai Nirat | -6 | 65 |
| T1 | Siddikur Rahman | -6 | 65 |
| T1 | Joakim Lagergren | -6 | 65 |
| T6 | Mithun Perera | -4 | 67 |
| T6 | Kalem Richardson | -4 | 67 |
The tournament's Twitter feed highlighted a terrific run for Lee, who continues to play with control and consistency this year:
Chawrasia's round included an equal split of six birdies, efficient work from the 36-year-old. He commented on his showing and the changing weather, per the European Tour:
"I played very well and was bogey free. I made some good putts and was hitting it good off the tees. It looked easy but it wasn’t!
[...] It wasn’t very windy in the morning so that made things easier. The wind started to pick up after a few holes but I’m used to play in these conditions.
"
Joakim Lagergren was the last player to join the leaders, and indeed, was the only tied-first challenger to post a bogey throughout the day. His hiccup arrived on four, but having started on 10, the Swede showed an air of calmness to regain the shot on his penultimate hole.
Things didn't progress so well for Miguel Angel Jimenez, who carded a one-under round of 70 to kick off his tournament. The Spaniard parred every hole on the front nine before slipping up on 10. However, a consecutive run of three birdies pushed him up the leaderboard, with this attempt on 14 marking one of his best shots of the day:
Jimenez faltered with another bogey on 16, but he didn't suffer nearly as much as some of the other big names in the competition.
Anirban Lahiri failed to deliver on his promise in the opening exchanges. His two-over round of 73 was only good enough for tied 80th, headlined with some mega failures along the course, per the European Tour's feed:
Similarly, Shiv Kapur also struggled in front of his home fans. He "grew up playing at Delhi Golf Club," according to Fergus Bisset of Golf Monthly, but didn't put his experience to use with a two-over round of his own. A double-bogey on nine—Kapur's last hole of the day—stopped him from scraping through on par.
Among the highlights of the day was a terrific birdie shot from Australia's Kalem Richardson, who enjoyed a four-under round of 67, sitting alongside Mithun Perera in tied sixth. His ambitious chip can be seen below:
Such a populated group of leaders suggests we are likely to see plenty of movement throughout Day 2. The Indian Open course isn't a forgiving one and will punish those who lose their focus for a second. Narrow fairways pose a constant problem and little room for error, a factor which is likely to impact the standings as we approach the weekend.
Home fans will be remarkably pleased to see Chawrasia leading the way, but will expect more from Lahiri and Kapur as the competition rolls on.
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