Chowrasia placed 3rd in Solaire Open

March 14, 2014: SSP Chowrasia shot a consecutive 68 to be tied third at the Solaire Open after the halfway round. Indian is placed one shot behind leaders Angelo Que and Miguel Tabuena.

Chowrasia, who won the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters in 2008 and Avantha Masters 2011, charged into contention after making some changes in his putting stance.

“I’m glad because my putting was good. I really struggled with my putting in the last few months. I made a small change during my stance. Now my hand is positioned slightly in front instead of behind,” the 35-year-old Indian told Asian Tour.

[highlight]There’s no secret to my good scores. I like to play on windy courses because I hit my balls really low, said Chowrasia [/highlight]

Chowrasia, also known as “Chipputtsia”, in the Indian pro circuit, scored 68 and expressed his fondness of playing in windy conditions.

“There’s no secret to my good scores. No doubt, the course is very challenging and it reminds me of the courses in Europe but the weather there is obviously colder! I like to play on windy courses because I hit my balls really low. Unfortunately, I had one bad drive (out of bounds) on the fifth hole for a double bogey,” said Chowrasia.

Despite a double bogey on fifth and a bogey, Chowrasia could retain his composure to finish the day with 6 birdies in total. He is one shot behind the leaders.

Meanwhile, Angelo Que sprung into joint lead with compatriot Miguel Tabuena at the US$300,000 Solaire Open on Friday.

Que, a three-time Asian Tour winner but not since 2010, fired the day’s lowest score with a flawless six-under-par 65 while 19-year-old, Tabuena shot a 68 to share the lead on seven-under-par 135 total at the challenging The Country Club. Bryce Easton of South Africa and Matthew Griffin of Australia posted a 68 and 69 respectively for tied fourth to trail the leaders by two.

The bubbly Que signalled his strong intentions to win the Solaire Open after being motivated by the challenge from his coach Bong Lopez, who was celebrating his birthday today.

“I’ve been working hard with my coach and we really want to win this year. Working and hanging out with him gives me a lot of confidence. It is a big advantage when you play on home soil. I think this is the biggest chance for me to win,” said Que, who holed 25 putts today.

Chowrasia, along with Rahil Gangjee are two Indians playing through the weekend at The Country Club. Gangjee scored a disappointing three over 74 on the second day but managed to make through the halfway cut.