When Jeev Milkha Singh finished tied ninth in the 2008 PGA Championship, Anirban Lahiri was taking baby steps as a golf professional. For someone who then considered it an honour to get to play on the domestic PGTI Tour, it was only natural to feel awestruck by Jeev’s feat.
Seven seasons later, Lahiri has raised the bar that Jeev set. His four sub-par rounds in the PGA Championship at the Whislting Straits earlier this month superseded Jeev’s effort as the best by an Indian in a Major. Lahiri finished tied fifth, a performance worth $367,000 (Rs. 2.4 cr).
Indeed, the feat raised Lahiri’s stock to a new high. Having won two European Tour events — Malaysian Open and the Indian Open — and played six Majors on the trot, Lahiri has reasons to feel upbeat.
Self-belief These days, the glint in Lahiri’s eyes reflects his growing self-belief. At an event in the Capital on Monday hosted by his sponsor, Hero, to honour his latest feat, Lahiri was honest and modest to the core, sounded confident of doing better and reiterated that the country’s golf needs a medal from the Rio Olympics next year to get the necessary attention.
In a gesture to express his gratitude to his sponsor, Lahiri presented his putter used in the PGA championship to Hero’s Pawan Munjal and acknowledged the support he received from all quarters in his journey so far.
After falling short by a shot to get the playing rights on the PGA Tour for the next season, Lahiri said, “I would have played the final hole differently.” Lahiri, like in the third round, bogeyed the final hole to finish a shot behind Justin Rose.
The PGA championship was Lahiri’s last direct opportunity to make his 2016 PGA Tour card and a spot in next year’s Masters, had he finished tied third or fourth. He now looks at the 25 qualifying spots available from the four-event web.com Tour Finals to make it to the PGA Tour.
Reflecting on the final day of the PGA Championship that he started at the tied eighth spot, Lahiri said, “the aim was the shoot as many birdies and I was not thinking about where I eventually finished. It felt good because I never got ahead of myself through the day.”
US courses more challenging Lahiri found playing on American courses more challenging than those in Europe. “The grass behaves differently in America. It surely helps those who have played collegiate golf in the US but that doesn’t necessary ensure better performance,” said Lahiri.
Answering questions about next year’s Olympics, Lahiri said, “Our generation of golfers are lucky to get to play in the Olympics. In your growing up years, you dream of being part of the Olympics. Looking at my performance in the year so far, I hope to make it as one of the two players (based on World rankings) to represent India in Rio.” Currently, S.S.P. Chowrasia is the second player.
Maintaining that his next goal was to win a Major, Lahiri said, “A few years ago, I couldn’t have believed that I would get to play regularly in Majors and WGC events. Now my confidence is high and I hope to win, sooner than later.”
