Thursday's notebook: Sponsor exemption Anirban Lahiri near top of leaderboard

In his home country of India, Anirban Lahiri is something of a national hero, but on the PGA Tour is still trying to make a name for himself by playing golf the way he did Thursday at TPC Scottsdale.

Lahiri, 28, is playing in the Waste Management Phoenix Open on a sponsor exemption and shot 5-under 66, leaving him one shot off the lead.

“I obviously got off to a good, solid start,” Lahiri said. “(I was) a little disappointed with how I drove it. I feel like I could have probably played a couple of shots better, but my iron play was really good.”

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Starting on the back nine, Lahiri made the turn at 4-under, then bogeyed the first hole and birdied the third and sixth.

Although he is in his first year as a tour member, Lahiri is not considered a rookie because he played in 12 tour events last season as a non-member. The well-traveled golfer has won 18 pro titles around the world, but captured fans’ attention in August when he battled for the PGA Championship lead and finished in a tie for fifth.

It was the highest finish by an Indian golfer in any major championship and locked down a spot for him on the International team in the Presidents Cup.

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Lahiri credits his devotion to Vipassna meditation with helping transform him from an also-ran golfer to a PGA Tour pro. He said the ancient Indian technique helps him to “stay in the moment” rather than looking ahead.

“To break it down, you don’t really use any mantras, don’t visualize or you don’t chant or anything like that,” he said. “You focus on your awareness and breathing and take it from there. It’s a process.

“I wish I could do it twice a day, but I’m pretty happy with myself if I can do it three or four times a week.”

Cable-cam in play

NBC, which is broadcasting this year’s event, has added a new twist to its coverage of the 16th hole with a “cable cam,” which is similar to cameras that run along cable lines on football broadcasts.

The setup on 16 runs from tee to green along the south side of the hole. NBC used a similar setup on its broadcast of The Players Championship last year at TPC Sawgrass.

Weather and attendance

Warm, sunny weather returned to the event Thursday and so did fans as an estimated crowd of 101,021 showed up. Last year’s event set a record for the first round with 118,461, and they are the only two years when the Thursday turnout has topped 100,000. More sun and even warmer temperatures are in the forecast through the weekend, with temperatures in the 70s.

Chip shots

• Erik Compton, who has undergone two heart transplants, withdrew after 12 holes. He was 4-over at the time.
• Bubba Watson’s round of 2-under 69 gave him a perfect mark of shooting par or better in all 35 rounds he has played in this event.