Masters Rookies: Ben Martin and Anirban Lahiri
Aug 22, 2014; Paramus, NJ, USA; Ben Martin tees off on the 10th hole during the second round of The Barclays golf tournament at Ridgewood Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Fuzzy Zeoller notwithstanding, Masters rookies — those competing in their first Masters Tournament — have only the slimmest chance of holding the top of the leaderboard this week. Augusta National is a track that demands a golfer’s best and is peppered with unpleasant surprises, and the Masters Tournament evokes such an aura of mystery that most players need to play the event several times before their game, mental as well as physical, settles into a stable Masters Routine. Jordan Spieth is a prime example.
More from Golf News
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- 2023 Hero World Challenge Predictions: The Return Of Tiger Woods?
- RSM Classic Brings the controversial 2023 PGA Tour Season to a close
Spieth started Sunday last year at 5-under par and even with Bubba Watson. He made the turn with a 2-shot lead and then unraveled as Watson turned it on. Unable to convert the back nine par-5s to birdies, Spieth stood aside while Watson slipped on another green jacket. Watson had teed off understanding how the Masters Routine works and Spieth, a Masters rookie, didn’t have a clue.
But this is golf, where hope springs eternal and I’m going to watch two 2015 Masters rookies who have the talent coming in to repeat Spieth’s 2014 reach for the top. Although Ben Martin, Anirban Lahiri will probably end up using their 2015 Masters appearance as a training opportunity, they’ve both had their 2015 Masters Tournament ticket punched by putting winning games to work, so let’s see what they can pull out of their bags over the coming 36 holes of championship golf.
I’d have picked Ben Martin even if he wasn’t a home boy for me, but having a homey competing in the Masters makes it all the more special. Technically, Martin’s not a rookie because he played The Masters in 2010 as an amateur. His runner-up finish at the 2009 US Amateur got his ticket punched. But I’m designating 2015 as Martin’s rookie pro year for The Masters.
More from Pro Golf Now
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament
Martin turned pro in 2010 and he’s been grinding it out for five years. He started finishing near the top of the board in 2014 and picked up his first PGA Tour win this year at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children Open. Whether or not Martin has the game to even make the cut this year remains to be seen, but he delivered some impressive approach shots in the Par 3 Contest which he, thankfully, did not win; and he has those two 2010 rounds as an amateur, coming as they did at the beginning of his pro career, have certainly given him a taste of what’s to come Thursday and Friday.
Anirban Lahiri. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports
This may be Anirban Lahiri’s first Masters Tournament but it’s not his first golf rodeo. Lahiri started playing pro golf on the Asian Tour in 2008 and moved over to the European Tour last year. He has 18 pro wins on his resume, 7 on the Asian Tour, 7 on the Professional Golf Tour of India, and 2 on the European Tour.
Lahiri’s played in one Major, the 2012 Open Championship at the Royal Lythan and St Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, where he made both the cut and an ace and recorded a T31 finish. Lahiri, who’s currently 34th in the world golf rankings, has been described by ProGolfNow’s Les Bailey as “the hottest golfer on the European Tour.
Lahiri got his Masters ticket punched with his 2015 win at the European Tour Maybank Malaysian Open. Whether or not the guy from Bangalore has a game that suits Augusta National is still an open question, but we’ll get a look at what’s in Lahiri’s bag Thursday and Friday.
Anirban Lahiri is paired Thursday with Miguel Angel Jiminez and Lee Westwood and they tee off at 9:13am.
Ben Martin is paired Thursday with Robert Streb and Cameron Tringale and they tee off at 11:25am.
I hope you’ll join me in watching Martin’s and Lahiri’s progress on Thursday and Friday. Perhaps they’ll be the beneficiaries of what Sam Adams has described as The Masters Effect! ESPN will provide live coverage of the Thursday and Friday rounds from 3:00-7:00pm EDT.