Quadruple bogey dents Anirban Lahiri’s maiden PGA Tour title chances

A quadruple bogey nine on the par-5 third hole allowed defending champion Justin Thomas to take control of the tournament and the American did not look back.

Lahiri recovered to post an even-par 72, but it was only good enough for a tied-third finish four shots behind the winner, even though that is the Indian’s best finish on the PGA Tour.

Thomas carded a bogey-free 64 for a three-shot win over Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama (66).

Lahiri’s title dream took the crucial hit on the third hole, where he hit his tee shot into a tree, forcing him to tee up again. His fourth shot, from the fairway, was also wayward, and his short game refused to bail him out. The quadruple bogey resulted in a five-shot swing and handed the lead to Thomas, who now had the wind in his sails.

It is not that Lahiri gave up the fight after the setback. He bounced back immediately with a birdie and an eagle on the next two holes, but a bogey on the sixth hampered his comeback attempts and moreover, Thomas was in no mood to be denied.

Coming after the playoff loss in Macao last week, it was the second successive disappointing Sunday for Lahiri.

The significance of a win on the PGA Tour cannot be overemphasised. It earns a two-year exemption on the Tour, and one gets guaranteed spots in elite events like the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii at the beginning of the year, the Masters, the Players Championship and the PGA Championship.

Hearbreak at final hurdle

“Disappointment obviously. It was obviously a harder start. I got unlucky with the tee shot and just compounded my errors. My short game again coming up a little bit to bite me. I tried my best. I fought back as best I could, but I just couldn’t get the putts to fall on the back nine,” Lahiri reflected on a day gone wrong.

“I had numerous lip-outs and then just really disappointed that I didn’t birdie 17 or 18 or even 16, for that matter. Just didn’t get the numbers right with my wedges. I didn’t hit them close. It’s very disappointing.”

Even the winner had sympathy for Lahiri.

“That was just unfortunate, it really was. You never want something like that to happen. That’s one of the things that happens when you win, you get a little luckier breaks. You get fortunate,” Thomas said.

“You know, Anirban, he really played well. He hit some really, really good putts that didn’t go in, and you know, there’s nothing for him to be down or upset about. Obviously, he had a lead going into today but I think me shooting 8-under is going to help a little bit, if that makes sense.”

Despite the obvious heartbreak, Lahiri knows his game is in good order and can feel that good things are round the corner. But a victory in a field that included the likes of Adam Scott, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Keegan Bradley, Rusel Knox and Paul Casey could have done wonders for him and Indian golf.

“I have the confidence. It’s not like I need additional confidence. But I need validation now. I need validation in terms of my game. I need to see that happen. It’s just not happened enough, and it’s been a year of near misses so far,” Lahiri, who finished tied with American Derek Fathauer (67), said.

Thomas seemed out of it after a rocky stretch of holes in the third round on Saturday, but kept himself in contention with five consecutive birdies coming home.

“I felt like maybe that was the biggest five holes I had played in my life because it gave me a chance,” he said. “If I am going into today eight or nine back then I have no chance, so it gave me a lot of momentum and kept me in striking distance.”