Finally, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia shed the 'nearly-man' tag on Sunday. And what a stage he chose to do that. In a field that had US PGA Tour regulars Ernie Els, Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke, Mark O'Meara and David Howell, besides a host of Indian stars, the caddie-turned-pro mastered both the elite field and the unforgiving Delhi Golf Club course en route to winning the Emaar-MGF Indian Masters title.

His victory not only erased the bitter memories of the past, but it was an emphatic statement that Indian golf has indeed arrived. Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur have been the country's leading pros, but Chowrasia's brilliant two-shot victory in the co-sanctioned $2.5-million event proved that there is depth indeed in Indian golf.

In fact, it was the 'Fab Four' who were expected to finish prominently or even win the inaugural European Tour event in the country's capital, but Chowrasia, beaten to second place in the Indian Open twice in the past, made a Tiger Woods-like charge on the final day to hit pay dirt. The Kolkata pro was in still in a daze when he was handed the winner's cheque of $416,660.

The 29-year-old, who lost to Randhawa in a play-off in the 2006 Indian Open at the very course, was the only golfer to shoot sub-par scores on all four days. Rounds of 70, 71, 71, 67 on the treacherous course, made doubly difficult by the blustery conditions, speaks volumes of the Indian golfer's consistency.

Consistency has been his bane in the past. "I have rarely done well in the final round, but whenever I've won a tournament I've always shot a brilliant last round, usually five- or six-under. I think I played very good on Sunday," said the champion.

Nobody will question that for sure. Starting two strokes behind leader Raphael Jacquelin, Chowrasia hit the front on the fourth hole, thanks to a stunning charge. Birdies on the first, third and fourth holes propelled him atop the leaderboard. The Kolkatan never relinquished his lead thereafter, signing a terrific five-under-par 67 card to lay his hands on the trophy.

"Honestly, I was not very confident of winning when I reached the course on the final morning. I never dreamt I would win such a big event," Chowrasia revealed. "I don't know what I'll do with this money (around Rs 1.6 crores), but I know I will play on both the European and Asian Tours."

But then, it has always been his dream to win one on the big stage ever since he turned pro in 1997. He shot to prominence just two years later at his home course. The son of a green-keeper at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Chowrasia finished tied second in the Indian Open. Only Atwal stood between him and his maiden Asian Tour title.

"I didn't think I would go that far. But at that point when I finished second, it seemed like kind of fluke," said a modest Chowrasia. "I was barely 20 at that time."

A self-taught golfer, the Kolkatan, as a boy, would sneak onto the golf course to play a few holes before being chased off by staff members. With the constant threat of being noticed, Chowrasia used to practice the short game more often, which also gave him enough time to make a getaway in the event of a chase!
Hours and hours of practice made him a golfer to reckon with, especially his short game. That earned him the sobriquet 'Chip-Putt' Chowrasia. After making a name for himself on the Indian Tour, the 29-year-old began to look beyond Indian shores -- Asian Tour. And he enjoyed reasonable success too.

Playing his first full season in 2006, Chowrasia nearly won the Indian Open in Delhi, but lost out in a heart-breaking play-off to Randhawa. A couple of weeks earlier, it was heartbreak of a different kind that drove Chowrasia to despair. Leading by three strokes after the halfway stage at the Mercuries Masters in Taiwan, Chowrasia was disqualified for signing a wrong score. "That was an awful experience. I wanted to cry, but soon got over it. It was a big lesson," Chowrasia recalled.

"But the good thing was Gaurav won the event and he was very helpful in my getting over the bad experience."
The Taiwan fiasco was quickly behind him and he signed off his first year in Asia with a tied 10th place finish at the Volvo Masters of Asia. Last season, after a poor start, SSP roared back to form with four top-20 finishes.
"Playing in different countries with very strong fields has helped me. I have been in contention a few times and I know I can compete with the best. On the golf course, everyone has the same challenge," said Chowrasia, a reluctant traveler first, of his experience on the Asian Tour.

He sure was ready when the European event came to India. After winning his first big event last Sunday, becoming only the third Indian to win an European Tour event, Chowrasia said he was ready to move on. "I have a European Tour card till 2010 and will be playing quite a lot in Europe. Playing with better players will improve my game. That certainly will get me ready for the biggest Tour of all, the US PGA Tour. That is my final destination.”