Om Prakash Chouhan (centre) receives his trophy and cheque from BNRI MD and Keventers CMD Mayank Jalan at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata on Friday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Om Prakash Chouhan produced a late run to win his 12th professional title at the Rs 1.5 crore DP World Players Championship in Kolkata on Friday.
The former Order of Merit champion climbed from his tie for third place overnight to seal the result on the 18th hole of the event powered by Urbana at Tollygunge Club, the DP World PGTI said.
Chouhan (69-67-64-64) set out a shot behind joint leaders Shaurya Bhatttacharya and Manu Gandas and delivered a 6 under par card in round four to take his tournament total to 16 under 264.
It was the 39-year-old’s first win in over two years and his closing par putt ensured the two overnight leaders would share second place on 15 under 165..
Chouhan’s closing run featured eight birdies against two bogeys and saw him pick up a winner’s cheque worth Rs 22.5 lakh that carried the Mhow golfer from 16th to fourth on the DP World PGTI Order of Merit.
Bhattacharya (64-62-73-66), the leader for the first three days and Gandas (66-69-64-66) battled Chouhan down the finishing set of holes before settling for second place.
Kshitij Naveed Kaul, another contender on the final day, ended the week with a 65 to finish fourth on 14 under 266.
Top game
The experienced Chouhan brought his ‘A’ game to the Tollygunge Club course on Friday and end his two-year-long winless streak.
‘OP’ as he is popularly known, bogeyed the second hole but made a strong comeback with four birdies on the front nine thanks to some solid putting as he drained putts from between 10 and 20 feet on three occasions.
OP’s three-putt bogey on 11 saw him fight back once again with birdies on the next four holes with some of accurate approach play that left him with three conversions from within five feet.
On 18, OP brought all his experience into play to close out with a 10-foot par conversion. Had he missed, it would have gone into a three-way playoff with Bhattacharya and Gandas.
“The long conversions on the front nine today gave me a lot of confidence,” the elated Chouhan said later.
“Then, after dropping bogey on 11, when I birdied 12, it provided me with momentum and self-belief that I stood a chance and could close out the match.
“While making the par putt on 18, I took my time to read the line as there was a lot at stake. My caddied\ advised me on the line of the putt and that worked out perfectly.
Complacent approach
“I feel, after playing one season on the DP World Tour, I had become a little complacent about my game and my swing also developed some glitches.
“I wasn’t practicing as much as I used to earlier. But timely advice and encouragement from my wife brought me back on track.
“Got back to my old routine of putting in more hours of practice. I also started playing with a freer mind.
“The change in mindset and routine have reflected in my results since the start of the 2026 season as I have bagged a win, a top-10 and a top-20 in the three events so far this year.”
Gandas’ long birdie conversion on the final hole helped him finish tied second while Bhattacharya’s birdies on 15 and 17 kept him in contention till the end.
Among the Kolkata-based players, Divyanshu Bajaj recorded the best finish as he took tied 25th place on 3 under 277.
Honey Baisoya, winner of the season’s second event, continues to lead the 2026 DP World PGTI Order of Merit with season’s earnings of Rs 33,95,250.
Also read: Gandas joins off-colour Bhattacharya atop Tolly leaderboard
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