Former World No.1 amateur Ollie Schniederjans saw off a host of the LIV Golf League's brightest talent to win the Asian Tour's International Series India by four strokes on Sunday.
Schniederjans was one of just four golfers to finish under par at DLF Golf and Country Club, just outside Delhi, but he did so at a canter on 10-under - comfortably ahead of Bryson DeChambeau and five shots ahead of Joaquin Niemann plus Abraham Ancer.
DeChambeau tried his level best to cancel out the eight-stroke advantage the eventual champion had built up at one point, but it was to no avail despite a seven-under-par round of 65 to end the week.
Schniederjans - who had both of his hips replaced in 2022 and was out of the game for well over a year - grabbed his second professional success thanks to a final round of 69, the same total that he managed in round two and round three.
“It means a lot to me,” said the 31-year-old, ably supported by his middle brother Ben as caddie this week. “This golf course is very challenging, and back in the day I would have had a hard time out here, so to come out and shoot those scores now, with everything I have been through, my game is a lot better than it ever was. This was proof this week.
“It was a long process, it took a lot of patience. I did a lot to change my body and swing, and had to learn a lot through that process.
“There were setbacks that took me years to get to this point. This year has been good, I have been able to be on the course all year for a year now. I've been able to put everything together, and I knew something like this was coming.”
The tournament faced delays each morning due to thick fog and, as a result, the end of round three preceded the final round on Sunday. But despite the interruptions, Schniederjans simply ploughed on regardless with the former LIV Golf CEO, Greg Norman watching on closely.
After wrapping up his second successive 69, the same groupings returned to the course and Schniederjans continued where he left off with a birdie at the first. The former Korn Ferry Tour winner traded birdies and bogeys before the turn prior to a spate of three birdies at the start of the back nine - the best of which was a sublime chip-in at the 13th.
Meanwhile, DeChambeau went bogey-free in round four and even eagled the par-5 18th, but it was to no avail as the man who finished fourth at the most recent LIV Promotions event to earn his start in India cruised home.
Reacting to his final competitive appearance before the 2025 LIV Golf League campaign begins, DeChambeau said: “Yeah, I scored really well and made a lot of great putts. Got off to a hot start on 18…
"I am pleased with how I performed and played but not pleased with how I struck the ball. I have been hitting it so well, I played a Break 50 (on his YouTube channel) and was hitting it so well. I don’t know what happened so I have to figure it out for LIV Golf Riyadh this coming week.”
LIV Golf's Sebastian Munoz and his former peer, Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra, finished T5th on level par alongside Kazuki Higa of Japan, with Australia's Kevin Yuan and Chase Koepka in eighth place on one-over.
A six-man group which included local hero Anirban Lahiri, DeChambeau’s Crushers GC team mate, finished T10th.
Amateur star Kartik Singh, who at aged 15 became the youngest Indian to make the cut on the Asian Tour, signed off with a 75 to finish T53rd, just behind Shubhankar Sharma and SSP Chawrasia.
