Anirban Lahiri Eyes An Invitation To Augusta For 2015
By Les Bailey
Jul 16, 2014; Wirral, GBR; Anirban Lahiri plays his tee shot to the 6th hole during a practice round at the 143rd Open Championship at The Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports
When the 2015 European Tour and Race To Dubai season got underway in December, Indian golfer, Anirban Lahiri was looking forward to just getting through the Final Stages of Qualifying School, and earning his European Tour card. Now the 27 year-old from Bangalore, India has his goals set on the 2015 Masters, and the Presidents Cup.
His victory last week at the Maybank Malaysian Open was huge. Not only did it move him from 73rd in Official World Golf Rankings to 37th, it made him a solid contender to win this week at the inaugural True Thailand Classic presented by Black Mountain.
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Now playing in the Masters is a realistic goal
The new ranking will get Lahiri access to the World Golf Championship tournaments, but does not guarantee that he will get that coveted invitation from Augusta National.
He will need to stay in the top 50 rankings until the first week of April when the Masters qualifications are finalized. Of Course, another win along the way will help.
Anirban Lahiri is now ranked fifth in President’s Cup status, and could well be an automatic qualifier for Captain Nick Price’s team, come September.
After opening with a 70-72 start in Kuala Lumpur last week, the young Indian fired a 10 under par 62 on Saturday to get near the leaders. He got a little help from third-round leaders, Bernd Wiesberger, and Alejandro Canizares on Sunday.
The overnight leaders carded matching 74’s on Sunday, and Lahiri drove a truck through the opening. He posted a four under 68, and won by one stroke.
He declared the forty-foot putt on the 17th hole as the shot of the day, and it was good for the one-shot victory.
"“I was taking lots of deep breaths,” he said. “I was just trying to keep my heart rate in check. I’ve played enough being in contention to know that if I can control my heart rate, it’s easier to hit golf shots, so I do a lot of deep breathing and closing my eyes.“You just try to observe what’s going on, what are you feeling, without judging yourself or thinking about an outcome. That obviously helps because it allows you to do instead of think.”"
Lahiri had two wins on the Asian Tour last year, finishing second in the Order of Merit. He beat French star, Victor Dubuisson in the Singles Match to tie up the Inaugural EurAsia Cup.
This kid is ready to contend on the European Tour in 2015, and has the potential to be on some leaderboards throughout the summer.
He’s not ready to compete with the likes of Rory McIlroy, and Henrik Stenson yet, but Lahiri is not far off. A good finish in Thailand this week would go a long way in confirming that invitation from Georgia.
"“Now playing in the Masters is a realistic goal, so that’s definitely one of the things I’ll consider,” he said. “There’ll be a lot of thinking and I’ll sit down and have a long chat with my manager about how best to schedule the next few months.”"
Anirban Lahiri is in good company on the Presidents Cup roster, with Jason Day, and Adam Scott at the top of the list. He only trails the two Aussies, PGA Tour, and Japanese star, Hideki Matsuyama, and South African, Charl Schwartzel.
Source: EuropeanTour.com