Nv 13, 2018: Anirban Lahiri is hungry to lift the Australian Open’s Stonehaven Cup and lay a platform for his beloved Indian cricket team ahead of their Down Under tour.
The 31-year-old Lahiri will make his Open debut in Sydney this week at The Lakes, the beginning of a two-tournament trip to Australia.
Coming off a tie for 10th at the PGA Tour event in Mexico on Sunday, Lahiri likes his chances of earning a first worldwide win in three years.
“I feel great about my game right now; I feel ready to win again.” – Anirban Lahiri
“My caddie is Australian and he has told me great things about The Lakes, so I’m really looking forward to the Australian Open.”
Next week, Lahiri will partner Gaganjeet Bhullar at the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne; a two-man teams event India has never won before.
An avid cricket fan, Lahiri is determined to post strong results while all eyes in his homeland are fixed on Australia with Virat Kohli‘s side arriving for three Twenty20s, four Tests and three ODIs starting November 21.
Lahiri acknowledges his own performance was an opportunity to gain exposure for golf in India, which has a population of 1.3 billion.
“What better way to kick off an Indian-Aussie summer with some success of my own,” Lahiri said.
“Golf is an emerging sport in India and people are starting to take notice of it.
“Personally, I would be incredibly proud to help deliver a first World Cup win for India.”
India has never won a Test series in Australia, but Lahiri is confident the team can get the job done as Australia are without banned stars Steve Smith and David Warner.
“(The ball-tampering saga in South Africa) was very unfortunate; being a sportsperson myself I can relate to the pain a lot of the Aussie cricketers and fans probably feel right now,” Lahiri said.
“This would be a great opportunity for the team to get that first Test victory Down Under.
“I’m going out to the T20 match between Australia and India on November 21 at the MCG and I think I’m more excited about that than playing golf,” Lahiri joked.
– Evin Priest, Australian Associated Press
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