Chuah Choo Chiang of Asian Tour

Anirban Lahiri, the toast of the tour: Chuah Choo Chiang, Asian Tour

Both for his stellar performances that saw him win two tournaments –and the way he handled himself through the adversity of a devastating Presidents Cup debut.

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Anirban Lahiri at PGA Championship

Anirban Lahiri was indeed the toast of the Tour in 2015, both for his stellar performances that saw him win two tournaments – the Maybank Malaysian Open and Hero Indian Open – and the way he handled himself through the adversity of a devastating Presidents Cup debut.

Chuah Choo Chiang of the Asian Tour writes the 28-year-old’s rise on the region’s premier Tour has been terrific to watch and write about over the years, from the time he claimed a first victory in 2011 before going on to finish third on the Order of Merit in 2013, second in 2014 and then voila, first in 2015.

Also Read: Special Moments in Indian Golf in 2015

His two triumphs in February were wonderful spectacles. Lahiri showed a knack of pulling off great shots, first holing a monster putt at the penultimate hole in Malaysia to edge one shot ahead and then chipping in for par in India after fluffing his previous shot to get into a play-off.

Then, there was his successful campaign at the Web.Com Finals where he secured his place on the global stage by earning his PGA TOUR card. Golf legend Greg Norman has also predicted him as a dark horse in 2016.

And then, who can forget his tied fifth finish at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, where he stayed in the title hunt throughout the final day. The eye-catching finish, which saw him earn the respect of the globe’s top players, came three weeks after a solid performance at The Open Championship at St Andrews.

Lahiri At The Presidents Cup: A Heart Break

While the highs came in glorious waves, Lahiri endured a tough debut at the Presidents Cup where he became the first Indian to qualify for the International Team. He was winless in his Fourball and Foursomes matches but had a chance to redeem himself in the Singles against Chris Kirk.

With the match all square playing the 18th hole, Lahiri seemed to hold the upper hand after an exquisite chip left him with a three-foot birdie putt while Kirk was 20 feet past the flag. But the intricacies of match play were then on full display when Kirk rattled home his putt and Lahiri inadvertently missed his putt to lose his match. To make matters worse for Lahiri, the US won the Presidents Cup by one point.

In the aftermath, Lahiri could have easily disappeared from the scene and not face the media. But the way he handled himself and giving credit to Kirk especially was worth more than a point for the Internationals.

He was gracious in defeat, as he was in becoming our new Asian Tour No. 1.

Chuah Choo Chiang is the Director Communications at AsianTour

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