New Delhi, 20-03-2016
Chawrasia: A big thanks to Jeev Sir
Here is what the 2016 Indian Open champion SSP Chawrasia had to say in his post match press conference:
I had finished runners-up four times in the past. So, somewhere at the back of my mind the thought of winning the Hero Indian Open was very strong. The first priority was to get into some sort of a contention. From the third round, I started leading the tournament. Today, my game got a bit slow in the middle, but towards the end, I again picked up the pace.
Last year Anirban (Lahiri) won, so it was at the back on my mind right from the start that he might win it this time also. So, the most important thing for me was to hold my nerves. We were almost neck-to-neck throughout the final round. On the 18th hole, there was a lot of pressure on me because I was just one shot ahead of Anirban. He hit his tee shot with three wood that gave him the option of going two-on. My second shot was pretty bad, I thought that the ball had a bad lie, but recovered with my third shot.
After the third shot, I felt that I could make a birdie and win the tournament since I was a shot ahead. That gave me some amount of confidence. Finally, on the final round I made a birdie that sealed the win for me.
Actually, I had lost this tournament four times in the past. So yesterday, after finishing my round I was pretty tense. So, I called Jeev (Milkha Singh), because he has won so much, I wanted some advice from him about how to go about the final round. And what he told me, I just followed that. For example, when Anirban started with three birdies in a row, I just kept my game together, just like Jeev advised me. He told me not to get tensed and get over aggressive even if someone hits four or five birdies. He also told me to play just like I had played over the past three days and I would win the tournament. For the entire day, I kept exactly that in my mind. I felt that he had given me the key to win the tournament. So, a big thanks to Jeev sir.
Today, my target was to play straight and keep the ball on the fairway, which would open up chances of birdies. The way Anirban charged through at the start of the round meant that I had to match him in my shots without getting too aggressive. So the first target was to keep it straight and find the greens and create more chances for birdies. But there were some holes which I attacked such as the first, fourth and 14th. Whenever, I was using smaller clubs, I was attacking the holes.
It’s almost 17-years since I finished second in a tournament at the RCGC. After that tournament, I started thinking that I could play at the international level. From then I set a goal to play at the international level. And whenever I lost in a tournament, I always took the positives with me because thinking about the negatives was of no use. My hunger to win kept increasing after every loss. That’s what kept me going whenever I went through a low phase. Looking back, I feel that missing the cuts in the last three weeks made me hungrier for the Hero Indian Open.
After this tournament, hopefully my Olympic quota is confirmed. I am very excited about it. Obviously, this was there at the back of my mind somewhere. I was also following my ranking. But when I was on the course today, I wasn’t thinking about it. The thought of playing in the Olympics is very exciting indeed. Other Indian sportspersons have been to the Olympics. When I used to see them there, I always got a great amount of joy because I used to think that since I play golf I would never get the chance to go the Olympics. But finally, it seems that my Olympics might just come true. And, now that I have got a full European Tour card, I’ll play more in Europe.
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Srinivasan H R (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
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