Gurgaon: India’s golfer Chinaswamy Muniyappa won the Indian Open title, prevailing in a playoff against Lee Sung of South Korea.
Muniyappa, 32, won at the first playoff hole after he and Lee had both finished on 12-under par 276 at the end of Sunday's final round. Muniyappa's fine 120-yard approach shot set him up for a birdie on the first playoff hole, which secured his victory.
It is Muniyappa's first Asian Tour title and comes at a crucial time for the rookie.
"Going into the Indian Open, my aim was to improve my ranking and retain the Asian Tour card. Winning the title is an amazing feeling," said Muniyappa, a caddie-turned-golfer, who plans on buying a house with the biggest paycheck of his career.
Muniyappa received $198,125 for the victory, while Lee received $135,625 for second after narrowly missing out on his second tour title.
Muniyappa was ranked No. 97 on the Asian Tour heading into the Indian Open.
"The pressure had eased considerably when we went into the playoff, for I knew my tour card was safe," Muniyappa said.
Muniyappa, leading the fray at the start of the final round, shot four birdies Sunday, but two bogeys on the back nine stopped him from building on his lead. He shot a two-under 70 in the final round.
Lee also had two bogeys on the back nine, but a birdie on the final hole gave him a score of three-under 69 and drew him level with Muniyappa to force the playoff.
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