Scot Euan Walker grabbed his best DP World Tour finish at the Hero Indian Open but looks forward to getting back onto the secondary Challenge Tour.
The 27-year-old Dundonald Links attached pro posted a closing two-under 70 for a share of 13th place at four-under-par on the ultra-tough DLF course in New Delhi.
Germany’s Marcel Siem, wearing an ultra colourful Hawaiian-like shirt, showed his delight in ending an eight-year Tour winless drought ripping off his visor and throwing it onto the green in delight after a closing par, in a round of 68 for a 14-under tally.
Siem, 42, and in his 502nd Tour start, denied fellow countryman Yannik Paul (70), and sporting the current men’s trousers trend that end about two inches shy of the top of your shoe, by a shot to become the first German to win the prestigious ‘national’ title first staged in 1964.
Marcel Siem shows his delight in ending an eight-year winless run to capture the 2023 Hero Indian Open (Photo – DP World Tour/Getty)
Siem was first full-time on the Tour from 2002 but struggled from 2018 to 2022, losing his main tour card and forced to tee-up on the Challenge Tour before regaining full DP World Tour membership late last year via the Q-School.
Siem said: “I’ve worked really hard. It’s crazy. A second kick-start for my career.
“I was gone – lost my card, Challenge Tour, Q School – thank you so much to my whole family and my team, my sponsors.
“I think there’s more to come now.
“This means a lot because two years ago I wasn’t even sure if I could still compete on the DP World Tour and now I’m a winner again, come on!”
Scot Euan Walker secures his best finish in 16 DP World Tour starts
Walker’s effort is his best finish on the main Tour since a T38th at the 2021 Dutch Open but after failing to secure his main Tour card at the end of last season, he’s now focussing on returning to India in a month’s time for back-to-back Challenge Tour events on not so tough courses in Bangalore.
He said: “Posting a two-under finish was okay as I played quite well though I made a mistake on 13 and paid quite heavily for it but other than that, I played really great again though quite relieved to be finished.
“The week has been really good. It’s by far the best I have played in a DP World Tour event, so you’ve got to be really happy about that, especially my third event of the year.
“It took me to July last year to make three cuts, so three cuts in three years this new season is a pretty good movement from last year
“As well, given how difficult the golf course was this week, and how well I played including driving it well off the tee, it does give me a lot of confidence to know that I am going back to an easier course on the Challenge Tour and I will probably will still keeping scoring well
“It’s been a golf course where you cannot relax for a second and it is actually so stressful to play even right to your final approach into the green at the last, as there is disaster waiting around every corner.”
While the Challenge Tour has a month off from competition, the main Tour is taking a week’s break before heading to the March 9 starting Magical Kenya Open.
It will afford top Scot Robert MacIntyre to sort out his game following a disappointing closing 72 to share a distant 32nd place at three-over.
The Oban lefty has now not broken 70 once in his 10 rounds over his past three events.
