Masters challenge awaits Anirban Lahiri

A special feature by Anand Datla

April 09, 2015: Pick your poison to conquer sleep, invite a few friends over and get ready to relish The Masters experience. We are hours away from Anirban Lahiri walking up to the first tee to launch his maiden campaign at the Augusta National Golf Club. The 27 year old will have to calm his nerves and steady his arms as he launches into the glorious air that envelopes the course at the iconic club. And despite being thousands of miles away, expect the excitement to filter straight into your drawing room as you follow the top ranked Indian pursue a great dream at one of the biggest events in golf.

If the par 3 competition is any sign to go by, Anirban is set to have a demanding day on the course. He will need every ounce of energy, all the muscle memory he has acquired over the years and a relaxed heart as he sets out to conquer the great course and wow the nation and the world. Going by Times Now and Arnab Goswami’s standards, the nation might want to know why the dog decided to cross the road. But in this case it might not be an exaggeration to imagine that a nation of billion people would indeed be excited by a steady performance from Lahiri.

The towering pines that inhabit the course in Georgia can intimidate the best of golfers. The course is very quick and bouncy; the greens undulate in every direction imaginable. And a golfers quest for mastery on a course like the Masters is nothing short of exhilarating. When the golfer in question is your own, the emotion and experience are accentuated beyond description.

As Lahiri walks through the course, making that sojourn through the famous Amen corner, expect a million prayers to set sail over the Atlantic hoping against hope to reach out and bless the golfer. It is an opportunity of a lifetime for a golfer to experience the magic of The Masters. Let us hope that Anirban can enjoy the feeling of amazement without allowing himself to be dissolved in it.