Anirban Lahiri preparing at Hoylake

Anirban Lahiri is looking to make the most of his tryst with links, as he prepares for only his second outing at The Open Championship

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Anirban_Lahiri at The Open in Hoylake

 

Anirban Lahiri is looking to make the most of his tryst with links, as he prepares for only his second outing at The Open Championships this week. The Indian has set sail early to give himself a good scent of the fairways and greens at the  Royal Liverpool Golf Club, where he shall try and rekindle some of the pleasant memories from his first experience at the Royal Lytham and St Annes two years ago.

 

Vijay Divecha, Lahiri’s coach is helping his ward prepare for the ultimate test in golf with a few rounds of acclimatization and practice at one of the oldest links courses in the world. Lahiri had to cut his honeymoon in Madagascar short, soon as he qualified for the Championships among the ten exempt golfers based on their ranking.

 

“I’m looking forward to a new course and a new challenge. In the two years since my first Open appearance, I believe I have progressed as a player,” said Lahiri last week. “I feel I am going back to the Open as a more rounded player than the last time. We’ve been working on reducing the spin rate on the ball and hitting low shots. I’m trying to get the rhythm and tempo going again and also working on the mental aspect.”

 

Lahiri’s debut at the Open was made spectacular by a memorable Ace at the ninth hole of the third round, as he went on to finish T31 in his maiden major tournament. The Indian has never played at Hoylake before this week though, and will happily admit that he is far from prepared for this edition of the tournament.

 

In 2012, Anirban had prepared for nearly two months in the lead up to the Championships. This time, he was just looking to make the best of his time off by getting away to Madagascar for a quiet honeymoon. Golf was the last thing on his mind, till the surprise call up ended the honeymoon as the newly married couple rushed back to India.

 

The course at Hoylake measures an intimidating 7,350 yards and the par score is 72. The run-off on either side causes trepidation even among the best golfers and there are 82 bunkers that protect the fairways and greens.

 

Report by Anand Datla

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