NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — American Ollie Schniederjans fired a three-under final round to hold off reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and score an emotional comeback win at the International Series India on Sunday.

Schniederjans’ 69 gave him a 72-hole total of 10-under 278 and a four-shot buffer over the fast-finishing DeChambeau, who carded a seven-under final round at the Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, just outside New Delhi.

His first victory on the Asian Tour was a remarkable achievement for Schniederjans, who had replacement surgery on both hips in 2022 and was out of the game for more than a year.

“There were setbacks that took me years to get to this point,” the 31-year-old said.

“It means a lot to me.”

Mexican LIV Golf player Abraham Ancer finished joint third on two-under after a level-par final round, alongside reigning International Series Rankings champion Joaquin Niemann of Chile. Filipino Justin Quiban closed with a one-under 71 to secure a tied for 10th spot.

The third round was completed on Sunday morning after bad weather hit the tournament and Schniederjans got off to a good start with a three-shot lead on seven-under.

He fired six birdies during the final round but also hit three bogeys.

“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,” he said.

Schniederjans, who was ranked the world’s top amateur in 2014 for 41 consecutive weeks, finished fourth at last year’s LIV Golf Promotions event to earn playing rights for The International Series.

“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,” he said.

The next event on the Asian Tour is the New Zealand Open from 27 February.