October 13, 2016: Indian golfers continued to dazzle on the Asian Tour, getting off to a solid start in the Venetian Macao Open. There were three Indians inside the top ten at the end of the first round – Anirban Lahiri, lying tied fourth, was trailing joint leaders Ian Poulter and Carlos Pigem by just two shots. Chiragh Kumar was in a tie for sixth and Rahil Gangjee was right behind him in T10.
Ian Poulter, back from a four month injury layoff, was among the early starters. He displayed no rust at all, firing himself to the top of the leaderboard with a 64. Carlos Pigem joined the Englishman later in the day to gain a share of the lead. Chapchai Nirat from Thailand tailed the leaders in third place with 65.
Marcus Fraser and Anirban Lahiri were sharing fourth place, with a 66 to their name. Miguel Tabuena celebrated his 22nd birthday with a memorable 67. He was joined in T6 by three others – Marcus Both, Kalem Richardson, and Indian golfer Chiragh Kumar.
Rahil Gangjee scored three under 68 to plant himself among a group of six golfers that completed the top ten at the end of an eventful first round at the Macau Golf and Country Club.
Anirban Lahiri has been on song since his return from shoulder injury, barring a first round disappointment in Jakarta.
The top ranked Indian golfer produced a spotless five under round on Thursday – two birdies on the front nine and three more on the return stretch decorated his card. It was a remarkable effort, especially considering that he made just 7 of 13 fairways and only 11 of 18 greens in regulation.
“My shoulder is beginning to heal and the nerves are settling down. I’m happy and I’m definitely in a better place physically,” said an assured Anirban Lahiri. “When I get to this golf course, I’m in a good place mentally.
It was important for me to get out and push myself a little bit. It was probably a good decision for me to come back out to Asia, play familiar courses and play in more comfortable environments after the injury,” added Lahiri.
“It’s like a soft start for me and I think that helps because next week onwards, I start my main season on the PGA Tour which is the bigger focus,” said Anirban, referring to his return to the PGA TOUR with the CIMB Classic in Malaysia next week. “There’s a lot to do this week and hopefully I can keep my head down and keep playing solid.”
SSP Chawrasia got off to a solid start, three under through seven holes. But a triple bogey at the par-4 tenth hole robbed the Indian of his rhythm and it went downhill from there. Chawrasia conceded two more bogeys on the home stretch to sign on a disappointing 73.
S Chikkarangappa, Jyoti Randhawa (through 16 holes) and Rashid Khan are all in 16th place, with a score of 69 from their first effort of the week. Khalin Joshi and Shankar Das shot 70 with Amardip Malik and Arjun Atwal following the young Coorgi home with a 71 on their cards.
Abhijit Chadha gave an extra shot away late in his round of 72. Gaganjeet Bhullar, winner of the Shinhan Donghae Open, continued to suffer some punishment. Our readers will remember how he conceded ground in the final round of the Indonesia Masters, he started with a 74 in Macao.
Shubhankar Sharma was three over through 17 holes while Shiv Kapur completed his duties for the day with a four over score of 75. Himmat Rai could only manage a 77, needing a minor miracle on Friday to retain any chance of staying back for the weekend.
