Hero Indian Open, Day 4: Remaining-hole eagle takes Veer Ahlawat to joint second spot; ‘Nervous’ Nakajima wins by 4 photographs

Minutes earlier than the coronation of Keita Nakajima as the brand new $2.25-million Hero Indian Open winner, Veer Ahlawat completed a irritating spherical of one-under 71 with a shocking final-hole ‘eagle’ to gate-crash into the tied second spot on his house course right here.

Soon, the “nervous” Japanese signed off with an uncommon bogey-bogey-bogey end for a one-over 73 – his worst card of the week – that was adequate to present him a four-shot victory on the DLF Golf and Country Club right here.

For the report, Nakajima’s report winning-score of 17-under 271 was value $382,500. The trio of Ahlawat, Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg and USA’s Johannes Veerman tallied 275 and obtained $167,250 every.

After main the sphere by a whopping 9 photographs at instances on Sunday and assuming the title was his for the asking, Nakajima performed aggressively on the back-nine. He saved just a few pars however went on to double-bogey the 14th gap – a par-4 the place he dropped a shot in three earlier rounds – birdied the following earlier than bogey-spree.

For Nakajima, the maiden DP World Tour title got here on the eleventh look in his ‘rookie’ season on the Tour. This 23-year-old topped final 12 months’s Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit. Before turning skilled in 2022, Nakajima was the World’s prime novice for 87 weeks throughout which he surpassed Jon Rahm’s report of 60 weeks.

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The triumph might increase Nakajima’s world rating from 111 to a career-high 80 – eight rungs over his earlier career-best rating earned in January 2024. Before this title, his earlier finest end this season was fourth within the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.

Any hope of an in depth end evaporated quickly on Sunday. Armed with a four-shot cushion, Nakajima birdied the primary, fourth and sixth holes to maneuver to -21. Concurrently, Nakajima’s enjoying companions Gavin Green and Romain Langasque misplaced their method.

But Soderberg and Veerman, positioned fifteenth and sixteenth after three rounds, made a cost.

Soderberg shot six birdies through the bogey-free 17 holes earlier than ending the week with a bogey for a 67. Veerman, two photographs behind Soderman earlier than reaching the 18th tee, birdied the ultimate gap and gained from the bogey from Soderberg to be joint-second earlier than Ahlawat joined them.