Anirban Lahiri survives Masters cut

Report by Anand Datla

April 11, 2015: Hero MotoCorp ambassador Anirban Lahiri has made the weekend at The Masters. After a desperate battle through the second round at the Augusta National Golf Club, Anirban survived by the skin of his teeth to make it through at 2-over 146. Lahiri shot a 75 on Friday including an eagle, a pair of birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey. He is lying T47 after planting himself just above the cut line, which fell at 3-over for the week. (Latest Golf News)

Lahiri drove 305 yards to begin his campaign in style at the Tea Olive. His second landed with 11 feet from the pin, but he slightly off the green. He needed two from there to par the first hole.

At the par-5 Pink Dogwood, Lahiri did well with his tee shot to cover 318 yards, landing left of the fairway. He shot 247 yards from there, but flew slightly right to sit beyond the bunker protecting the green. Anirban’s chip did more than asked, leaving him about 28 feet to cover and he made par by doing so in two shots.

There are four bunkers on the left, protecting the fairway of the Flowering Peach. Lahiri found the bottom of the first bunker with his tee shot. His second shot was only good enough to leave him about 18 yards to the flag. Lahiri chipped to the edge of the green with his third, but needed two more shots to cover the 19 feet from there to suffer the first bogey of the round.

The Flowering Crab Apple is a 240 yard par-3. With the pin placed to the extreme right of the green, Lahiri landed far left, about 93 feet from the flag. A three putt left him bleeding another shot and a second straight bogey sent him over par for the tournament.

The sixth hole is a par-3 measuring 180 yards, known as the Juniper. Knowing that he needed to make ground, Lahiri attacked the flag to the right back corner of the green. But 207 yard tee shot saw the ball soar over to the behind the green, 14 yards out from the pin. The Indian took three shots from there to suffer his third bogey in four holes, as he started to flirt with danger.

Anirban’s first birdie of the round came at the Yellow Jasmine. The 8th hole is a 570 yard, par-5. The 27 year old got within 32 feet of the pin with his second shot, two putting for his birdie.

At the eleventh, Anirban flew too far left, landing in the woods next to the White Dogwood. He rescued himself to within 14 yards with his second shot, but he overshot the pin with his third. Two shots from there saw Anirban surrender another bogey to the course.

By now, Anirban was flirting with the cut and was in desperate need of some magic. He found exactly that at the 510 yard Azalea, the 13th hole. The fairway turns almost perpendicularly at this hole and Anirban made it past the corner with his tee shot, before landing 25 feet from the pin with his second shot. He sank the putt from there to record his first eagle at The Masters and return to even par.

But his joy did not last too long. Lahiri gave back two shots at the par-4 Chinese Fir. The Indian fired left at the 14th hole, compromising his second shot. He made six and was back at two over par.

Anirban drew one back on the next, with a birdie at the Firethorn. He did well there to work his way back from the bunker behind the green to get up and down in two.

The Redbud though extracted it straight back, luring Lahiri yet again into the bunker protecting the green. After a bogey at the 16th, Lahiri made two straight pars to end his round at 3-over for the day and +2 overall.