When leader Richie Ramsay missed two regulation putts on a dramatic final hole of the Hero Indian Open on Sunday, Thaworn Wiratchant’s delighted caddie jumped up and down by the green.
Wiratchant, however, was busy with an interview in the KGA clubhouse, completely unaware that he was required back on the course for a play-off to decide the title winner. “I didn’t know I was in the play-off. I was quite surprised, because when I left the green after the completion of my round, I saw Ramsay in a good position on the green. So I assumed he would win and left,” the Thai champion, who was one stroke behind at the time, said.
The sizeable crowd went berserk when Ramsay missed the two putts which would have seen him being crowned champion. The chaotic scenes near the 18th green nearby forced Wiratchant to realise that it was not quite time for ‘How does it feel to finish second?’ questions just yet.
The drama continued in the play-off. A miraculous recovery shot from Ramsay over the hut landed on the green after the Scot looked down and out after a tee-shot into the gutter.
While waiting around for nearly fifteen minutes as Ramsay prepared to take his shot, Wiratchant briefly lost the plot. “I had waited a while on the fairway for him to hit his shot. I became stiff, and quite nervous. If I didn’t have to wait for Ramsay, I would have won it comfortably with a birdie,” he said.
The 45-year-old then hit his approach into the bunker, but his rival missed a putt once again to surrender the title.
Ramsay taking second spot, was scarcely believable. After cruising along as the leader during almost the entire duration of the tournament, entering a play-off scenario and then losing it had to be a bitter pill to swallow. “It will take a bit of time to recover from this. Stuff like this doesn’t usually happen to me. I am being really honest – I usually play better under pressure. In the end, the green just fooled me I guess.”
