International Series golf: Ollie Schniederjans scripts commanding win

International Series golf: Ollie Schniederjans scripts commanding win

International Series golf: Ollie Schniederjans scripts commanding win ByShantanu Srivastava Feb 02, 2025 10:16 PM IST Share Via Copy Link The US player shot 10-under 278 to beat tournament’s biggest calling card Bryson DeChambeau by four shots in Gurugram

Gurugram: On a dank, misty evening and on a course that routinely tested the best field ever assembled for an international event in the country, Ollie Schniederjans shone the brightest, his game finally delivering the result it had long promised.

Ollie Schniederjans shot 10-under 278 to comfortably beat Bryson DeChambeau (Asian Tour)

The US golfer sank six birdies in the final round, including an outrageous chip from thick greenside rough on the par-4 13th, to win the $2 million International Series at the DLF Golf and Country Club here on Sunday. The result ended the 31-year-old’s nine-year wait for a title, since he turned pro in 2015.

Schniederjans shot 10-under 278 to comfortably beat the tournament’s biggest calling card, reigning US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau – the two-time Major winner shot a brilliant bogey-free 65 in the final round with five birdies and an eagle – by four shots to walk away with the winner’s cheque of $360,000. DeChambeau’s late rally was not enough, especially against Schniederjans who played solid golf.

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, who held the clubhouse lead on the penultimate day, was undone by the notorious back nine as he carded 2-under 286 for tied third with Mexican-American Abraham Ancer. Anirban Lahiri was the best Indian on the leaderboard, finishing T10 (2-over 290).

Coming into the tournament, few gave Schniederjans a chance, especially with LIV Tour superstars DeChambeau, Niemann, Paul Casey and John Catlin hogging the build-up. But the American was consistency personified, calmly shooting three-under 69 in each of the last three rounds to stay in contention and then zoom ahead.

His title charge was strengthened by Niemann having a forgettable last stretch in Round 3, unfinished on Saturday and which began in thick haze two hours past the schedule. He bogeyed the 13th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes, and had a double bogey on the par-4 14th to finish Round 3 at five-over.

While Schniederjans continued to hold the advantage, DeChambeau found his bearings as the skies finally cleared up. An eagle on the par-5 18th and birdies on the second and fourth gave him the early impetus. However, despite carding the best round of Sunday, an eight-shot gap Schniederjans had built was a bridge too far.

That the Texan was going to have a good outing was apparent with his lights-out start to the third round on Sunday where he birdied his first three holes – 10, 11 and 12 - and sped to a three-shot lead while Niemann began to falter. As organisers scurried to complete the tournament with a shotgun start for the second day in a row, Schniederjans went about his business with remarkable efficiency.

He had a five-shot lead at the turn over Japan’s Kazuki Higa and DeChambeau. That lead became six when he sensationally chipped in for a birdie on the 13th. He saw the second shot go past the green and slide down the rough to the verge of thick bushes. Not allowed relief by the official, it looked like a likely bogey, but his chip to the elevated green was perfect. He called it “one of the best shots” he had ever hit.

Despite a bogey on the 17th, Schniederjans safely made par on the last hole, narrowly missing a chip for birdie from the edge of the green. As the course erupted in applause, Schniederjans finally showed emotion, hugging younger brother Ben, his caddie.

“To come out and shoot those scores now, with everything I have been through – my game is a lot better than it ever was,” Schniederjans said. The former world No.1 amateur is only the third amateur since 1960 to make two Major cuts in the same summer, the others being Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

His body, however, would soon give up as injuries began to crop up on his obliques, neck, and hips. He underwent surgery on both hips in 2022 and got demoted to the Korn Ferry Tour where he played 16 tournaments last year for a solitary top-10 finish.

Last month, Schniederjans finished T4 in the LIV Golf promotions event to miss out on the lone spot available in the league, but gained exemptions into all the International Series events for 2025. His near-term goal, he said, was to get on the LIV Tour roster.

“I had to change my swing and work on my body mechanics. It was a long process, much longer than I would have liked,” he said, reflecting on his struggles with injuries.

“It’s only in the last 12 months that I’ve been able to play consistently without setbacks. By the end of last season, I felt I was truly in control of my game and ready to do something big.”

As big as it can get, that too on a brute of a course with a two-time Major winner chasing.