Anirban Lahiri shoots 74 in Houston

Report by Anand Datla

April 03, 2015: On a day when the Americans burnt the course in Houston with some low scoring rounds, Anirban Lahiri had to fight gallantly to avoid slipping into oblivion soon as the tournament began. The Indian had an up and down first round, eventually signing on a 74 which included a double bogey, three bogeys and an even number of birdies. Scott Piercy shot into the lead with a terrific 63 that gave him a two shot edge over Alex Cejka and JB Holmes.

Lahiri got off the blocks with an even par four at the first hole, but gave one to the course at the second, where he made a five. A couple of consecutive birdies at the 5th and 6th saw him go under par.

But he drifted again when he made bogeys again at the 7th and 9th to make the turn in 37 shots. A birdie at the tenth saw Anirban draw his card even and six straight pars kept him on course for an even finish.

But he had a poor start at the 17th tee and never quite recovered as he sank a double bogey. Lahiri made 67% greens in regulation and a driving accuracy well below 60% wasn’t going to be enough on this fast paced course.

Here is Anirban at the 13th hole, where he made par

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Piercy tied a tournament record with a nearly flawless 9-under-par 63 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Shell Houston Open. “It’s the first round,” he said. “If I’m sitting here Sunday, then I’ll be super-excited. If I (keep playing) like I did today, I would say there’s a pretty good chance of that.”

J.B. Holmes was next at 65, having also gotten to 8 under with four holes to play before finding a fairway bunker with his first shot at No. 6. After badly missing the green, Holmes had to scramble to a bogey.

Phil Mickelson, Luke Guthrie, Charles Howell III and Houston’s Shawn Stefani each shot a 66 and trail Piercy by three strokes.

Piercy, who made five birdies in a row over one torrid stretch during the middle of his round, became only the fifth player to card a 63 since this PGA TOUR stop moved to the Golf Club of Houston Tournament Course in 2003. Two of the others, Mickelson in 2011 and Johnson Wagner in 2008, went on to win the championship.

The 36-year-old Piercy, a pro from Las Vegas, missed only one green in regulation and needed just 26 putts. Two days earlier, however, feeling so discouraged by the way he’d been playing of late that it crossed his mind while he was out grinding on the driving range “to go home and not waste my time.”