Scot Stephen Gallacher claimed his first win in five years at the age of 44 at the Hero Indian Open. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

STEPHEN Gallacher birdied three of his last four holes to produce a stunning comeback and win his first European Tour title in five years at the Hero Indian Open.

The Scot had shared the first round lead but a second round 74 saw him slip back and his chances looked doomed when he made a quadruple bogey eight on the seventh hole on Sunday.

The lead kept moving backwards on a windy day at DLF Golf and Country Club, but as he stood on the 15th tee, Gallacher still looked an outside bet facing one of the toughest closing stretches on the Race to Dubai because of that snowman on the seventh.

The 2014 Ryder Cup star knows a thing or two about performing under pressure, however.

And he took advantage of the par five before hitting stunning approaches into the 17th and last to claim his first win since the second of back to back Omega Dubai Desert Classic titles in 2014.

On Mother’s Day back in his native Scotland, it was a father and son show in New Delhi, with son Jack caddying for Gallacher this season in what is likely to be a permanent move for the duo.

A closing 71 moved the 44-year-old to nine-under and gave him a one-shot win over Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, with Spaniard Jorge Campillo a further shot back.

A delighted Gallacher said: “Today the wind was swirling and the course was playing really tough.

“I was three behind the lead at the start of the day and got off to quite a solid start and then I hit a quadruple-bogey on hole seven. I was pretty calm at that point of time, I stood on the eighth tee and saw I was only five shots behind.

“I told myself to stick to the game and you never know what can happen. Especially with how hard it was playing and I came back three-under in the last four holes.

“I thought, ‘just hang in there’. When I birdied 15 I saw that Julian Suri had come back and then when I got to the 16th green I was tied for the lead. I just tried to finish as strong as I could, and I did that.

“Thankfully it was enough. I am 45 this year so I am really proud of what I did out here today. It changes my schedule and I can play a bit less and it was great to win with my son Jack on the bag.

“He has caddied for me 20 events already. It has been a great day. It was great to have him on the bag and Mother’s Day as well makes it even more special.”

Masahiro Kawamura, who has one win to his name on the Asian Tour back in 2013, admitted feeling nervous coming down the stretch. He said: “The round was very good especially in such tough conditions.

“I wasn’t playing very well in the front nine and was struggling on a lot of the holes and I had some missed shots, but the back nine I played very well.

“The course was tough today, but I managed to come back.

“Coming into the last two holes and seeing my name on the leaderboad, I was really nervous,” said the Asian Tour winner, who claimed the 11^th card at the European Tour School, in November, at Spain’s Lumine GC.

Kawamura added: “I knew how important the final hole was and I hit a good shot but was just unlucky.

“Last year I finished second three times on the Japan Tour, lost by one shot twice and once in a play-off. Now I finished second by one shot this time again.”

American Julian Suri had led by three after 12 holes but produced a quadruple bogey of his own on the treacherous 14th to slip back, and he finished alongside South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout at six-under.

Bezuidenhout made six birdies and two bogeys in a 68 that handed him a third top 10 in four events and he finished three shots off the lead, one ahead of fellow South Africans George Coetzee and Erik van Rooyen, Spaniard Nacho Elvira and Hertfordshire’s Callum Shinkwin.

Finn Kalle Samooja made the third hole-in-one of the week with a pitching wedge from 139 yards on the 12th for the eighth ace of the season.

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A second successive 67 by New Yorker Julian Suri sees the Made in Denmark winner top of leaderboard at the Hero Indian Open. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JULIAN Suri fired a second consecutive round of 67 to take a two-shot lead into the weekend at the Hero Indian Open.

The American was heading home on Friday night 12 months ago at DLF Golf and Country Club after posting 76-82… but he was 24 shots better off than that this time around at 10-under par.

Suri is playing just his second event of the season after undergoing surgery on an abdominal hernia.

But the New Yorker showed he was in fine health in New Delhi, picking up six shots in as many holes from the first to surge clear in the morning session.

Suri said: “I put the foot down, but I had the same mindset I had really on the first nine.

“I hit it really well the whole day and I just tried to free it up a little bit on the second nine with my putting.

“I hit a lot of good shots and gave myself a ton of chances on the first nine and none of them dropped, particularly with speed and not hitting them hard enough.

“So, just try to free it up and putt with feel like I normally do.

“I am hitting quite a few drivers. Driver is probably the most comfortable club in the bag for me so I am being pretty aggressive and with the greens being somewhat softer than what they were last year.

“I am coming into the greens with a lot of wedges and pitch shots and stuff, so you can score when you are in a good spot.

“I’ve been playing well, and I knew I was playing well even though the score didn’t show it after the first nine, so just had to keep plugging away and staying patient.”

South African George Coetzee finished his round with three birdies to sit at eight-under alongside Swede Robert Karlsson, who ended his day with gains on the 17th and 18th.

Karlsson, who made back-to-back eagles in the first round said: “It was good. I got off to a really good start.

“I was a bit lucky on the fourth, the pin was in a tricky position but I hit a good shot and it just rolled up behind the green and came back to just a foot. So it ended up being a gimme eagle.

“But there was some very good stuff and I am happy with a couple of birdies to finish off.

“I haven’t been in this position for a long time, so I am staying very humble over the weekend.

“I am just trying to do what I am doing, and pretty much looking at this golf course as just a great test to see what I need to do better.

“I’ve worked hard on my game over the last half year, changed coach (Hans Larsson) and things like that, so it feels like I am heading forward.

“But on this golf course a lot of things can happen quickly and even if it does, I am still showing signs, I have put in a bunch of good rounds lately.”

Coetzee who is looking for his first win since last year’s Tshwane Open, said: “Obviously a little easier today then what I have been playing this course back in the past, but I had fun today, hit some really nice shots and made some nice putts.

“It didn’t look like it was going to be birdie-birdie-birdie finish after my tee shot on 15. But I got my head back in a good space and hit some good shots from there.

“I really enjoy the course, it’s probably one of the prettiest courses we play, and the greens are amazing so there is nothing to complain about.

“I will just take it as it comes and try and stay positive and play golf.”

Hertfordshire’s Callum Shinkwin, from Moor Park, and Australian Scott Hend were then at seven-under after firing the only bogey free rounds of the week so far.

Fifty-three-year old Thai Prayad Marksaeng was at six-under, a shot clear of Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura and Sri Lankan N Thangaraja, with Finn Mikko Korhonen, Scot Richie Ramsay, England’s Robert Rock and Austrian Matthias Schwab six shots off the lead.

There were two holes-in-one on Friday – taking the season’s tally to seven – as Om Pratash Chouhan holed a six-iron on the fifth and Daniel Nisbet holed a four-iron on the third.

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New Yorker Julian Suri who produced a superb chip on the par five 18th to tie Stephen Gallacher at five-under in the Hero Indian Open. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SCOTLAND’S Stephen Gallacher and Julian Suri fired opening rounds of 67 to take a share of the first round lead at the Hero Indian Open.

Gallacher has often flourished on tough courses throughout his career, and showed he had the measure of DLF Golf and Country Club last season as he recorded a top 10 finish in New Delhi.

Fast forward 12 months and a sensational putt from off the green at the last handed the Scot a closing eagle and a one shot advantage at five-under.

It looked for a long time like he would not be caught in the afternoon but American Suri – who missed the cut in his only appearance here last season – produced some magic of his own on the 18^th.

He played a sublime bunker shot to set up a closing birdie and join Gallacher at the summit.

South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Swede Robert Karlsson, Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal and Thai Prom Meesawat were the nearest challengers.

Last week’s winner in Malaysia, Scott Hend, and local hero Shubhankar Sharma are in a nine-man group two shots off the lead.

Stephen Gallacher, a member of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles, in 2014, said: “It was a perfect morning.

“Cool to start with and then it heated up later on in the round, and not too much wind, so it was perfect today.

“I think you have to get it in play off the tee, there is just so much trouble.

“I think if you get the tee shot in place you can hit a couple of nice iron shots and take advantage of the par fours that are quite short, drive a couple, and knock it onto the par fives.

“It is quite a strategic course. I don’t think you need to be the longest player on the tour to play it, I think you’ve just got to plot your way around it.

“I have started poorly to be honest, I’ve had a sort of big miss in the bag that has been costing me triples and doubles, so hopefully, I knew I was close last week, I played lovely but just didn’t get anything out of it.

“But coming back to a place where I’ve played well hopefully I can draw on some inspiration from last year.”

Suri, who made his maiden breakthrough at last year’s Made in Denmark tournament, said: “It was a good day.

“My caddie Dermot, he keeps encouraging me and calls me the Greatest Showman sometimes after the movie, so I had to give him a little show there.

“I got the all clear about four or five weeks ago from the doc and last week in Malaysia was my first event,” said the 27-year-old who had surgery on a hernia in January.

“With the heat there and all the conditions, the body felt great and the swing felt good too.

“It’s obviously still a work in progress but to shoot a score like this, on a course like this, is a good sign going forward.

“It’s a great test. It’s very dramatic and provokes the imagination a little bit so I enjoy it,” said the New Yorker, whose exquisite chip on the last set up a simple birdie four to tie the leader.

Aaron Rai’s dream to win Hero Indian Open

Spaniard Larrazabal, who finished fourth last year four shots behind Hertfordshire’s Matt Wallace, who beat Middlesex’s Andrew “Beef ”Johnston in a play-off, said: “The conditions were perfect and this is a great golf course.

“If you hit alright from the tee, or out it in the short grass then it’s not that long, and the greens as good as they are you can hole putts.

“Very happy starting last year with five-under, this year four-under, hopefully I can go four better than last year.

“I like great golf course and I love to putt on good greens, and these are probably the best of the season with Abu Dhabi, so I just try to keep working.

“I didn’t play my best today from the tee, but I allowed myself to keep the ball alive and not put myself into too much trouble and trying to make birdies when I can.

Robert Karlsson, who was crowned European No. 1 back in 2008 – but has suffered a series of injuries since – said: “This is one of the most brutal golf courses I have ever played.

It’s fantastic because you get found out when you are doing good and when you are not doing so good.

“Any slight miss and it’s trouble. It is a fabulous week to be here and definitely one of the best courses we play condition wise that is going to test where you are.”

Forty-nine-year-old Karlsson, playing in his 613 European Tour event, lit up his round with eagles at the par four seventh and the par five eight.

The Swede, who has won 11 times in his career and appeared in two Ryder Cups, said of his two on the sixth: “It was one of those things, I just got this feeling over the wedge.

“I saw Dean Burmester hit it just right of the flag, and thought this is the perfect distance for me, and when I was over the ball I thought ‘this could go in’ and when it when in I was like ‘yep’.

“So that happens sometimes. It’s not easy but it was just one of those shots.

“Eight I played really well, hit a driver and six-iron to the back, and chipped it in from probably 25 feet, so that was great.

“I don’t think I have ever done two eagles in a row, I have done two in a round but not two back-to-back so that’s pretty cool.”

There was still one group left out on the course so the first round will be completed early on Friday morning.

•For live scoring from the second round of the Hero Indian Open, click here.

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