South Africa’s Thomas Aiken claimed his second European Tour title thanks to some self-professed “phenomenal” golf in the Avantha Masters in India.
Aiken held a three-shot lead going into the final day thanks to a third-round 62 and was never caught, even though playing partner Liang Wenchong carded a hole in one on the seventh.
India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar also threatened to claim a popular home victory at the Jaypee Greens Golf Club he represents, twice getting within two shots of the lead as he recorded a superb closing 64.
But Aiken held his nerve and finished in style with a birdie on the last, carding a flawless 67 to finish 23 under par, three ahead of Bhullar with Liang (69) a further two shots back in third.
The 29-year-old from Johannesburg, whose previous win came in the 2011 Spanish Open, collected the first prize of £260,000 and is the sixth South African winner on tour this season.
“They just kept coming at me today,” Aiken said.
“I tried my best to get a little bit of a lead but couldn’t get it going, everyone was holing everything; Liang on the front nine and Bhullar made some amazing birdies coming in. By no means was it a walk in the park. Finally I can have a bit of a breather.”
A breather Aiken could certainly have done without came on the 18th tee, where he endured a 12-minute wait due to a prolonged ruling in the group ahead after Australian Scott Hend had driven into the water.
Aiken’s only two bogeys came on the seventh and eighth holes of his second round, meaning he played the last 46 holes without dropping a shot and carded a total of 21 birdies and two eagles during the week.
England’s David Horsey shot a final round of 67 to finish in a tie for sixth with Hend (70) and Scotland’s David Drysdale (71). Fifer Peter Whiteford fired a final round 68 to finish three shots behind Drysdale.
Marc Warren carded a closing day 71 to finish on eight under while Craig Lee was two further adrift following a final round 70.