Anirban Lahiri inching upwards

Edited by Anand Datla

Singapore, December 1: Indian hotshot Anirban Lahiri closed the gap on Asian Tour Order of Merit leader David Lipsky of the United States after another solid finish on Sunday.

Lahiri finished tied second at the King’s Cup and pocketed US$43,250 to trail Lipsky by about US$118,256 while Thailand’s Prom Meesawat lurks in third following a top-10 result at the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club.

Thai veteran Thaworn Wiratchant, who claimed an unprecedented 18th Asian Tour title at the King’s Cup, moved up to seventh position on the Order of Merit with a season’s haul of US$268,882. He also won the Queen’s Cup on home soil in June.

Lahiri, who led the King’s Cup for the first three rounds, was disappointed not to win his third Asian Tour title this year.

But with three tournaments remaining on the 2014 Asian Tour season, Lahiri still has a fighting chance to win the prestigious Order of Merit crown and break inside the top-50 in the world.

“It’s a solid week all in all and I’m happy with the way I’m playing. I just got to pick myself up and win the BANK BRI Indonesia Open. I would have like to have won last week because I’m running out of tournaments,” said Lahiri.

“I’ve to win at least one of these next three events to have a chance at winning the Order of Merit. I’m a little upset I didn’t close it out as I led wire-to-wire. I guess Thaworn was the better player. I don’t think I played poorly but it was just not good enough to close it out,” added Lahiri, who is currently ranked 70th in the world.

Prom, who ended an eight-year title drought with a second Asian Tour victory at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Chinese Taipei in September, continued to enjoy his best season on the Asian Tour. His current earnings of US$526,171 is the highest amount he has earned in a single season since making his debut on the region’s premier Tour in 2004.

“It’s another happy result for me. I’m still playing good but I did not get a good finish in the final round. I’ll try to do my best for the last three events on the Asian Tour, hopefully remain in a good position on the leaderboard all the time and we’ll see what happens,” said Prom, who also chalked up five top-10s and has yet to miss the cut in 15 appearances.

Prom will also feature in the US$750,000 BANK BRI Indonesia Open this week.

“That win in Chinese Taipei really boosted my confidence as I played really good golf after that win and that helps with where I am on the Order of Merit now. It has been a good season for me and I still have a good chance to catch Lipsky. I’m going to try my best for the rest of the season,” added the 30-year-old Thai.

Meanwhile Asian Tour rookie Kalem Richardson of Australia is pleased to have secured his Asian Tour card for the 2015 season after breaking into top-60 on the Order of Merit. He currently sits in 47^th place following the two top-five finishes in Chiangmai and Thailand.

“I expected to do better than what I did earlier on in the season. It took me a while to figure out how to play out here but I’m really feeling confident now and I feel that I have what it takes to compete against these guys. It’s a good feeling to have.

“A lot of pressure have been lifted off me now that I’ve secured my card and I just want to go out there and enjoy the next three weeks and climb as high as I can up the Order of Merit,” said the 26-year-old.

The Asian Tour heads to the US$750,000 BANK BRI Indonesia Open in Jakarta where the Asian Tour stars will continue their chase for honours at the Damai Indah Golf, Pantai Indah Kapuk Course from December 4 to 7.

Asian Tour Order of Merit – Top-20

Pos Player Earnings (US$)

1. David LIPSKY   (USA) $682,610

2. Anirban LAHIRI   (IND) $564,354

3. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $526,171

4. Cameron SMITH   (AUS) $427,476

5. Angelo QUE   (PHI) $381,655

6. Scott HEND   (AUS) $371,177

7. Thaworn WIRATCHANT   (THA) $268,882

8. Antonio LASCUNA   (PHI) $253,163

9. Rashid KHAN   (IND) $243,249

10. Kiradech APHIBARNRAT   (THA) $237,685

11. S.S.P. CHOWRASIA   (IND) $223,260

12. Steve LEWTON   (ENG) $212,755