Indian golf is basking in sun with some good finishes by the country’s top ranked golfer Anirban Lahiri. The recently concluded The Open Championship in St Andrews at Scotland saw Lahiri trend just a few shots off the leader on two days out of the four in the tournament. Lahiri put up a gallant fight even as extreme weather, a new course, a historic tournament mixed a new challenge for him every day. The Open had returned to St Andrews – considered the home of golf – making it a most special Major championship. And Lahiri, who played the Major for a third time, had never played the Old Course on St Andrews before.
“It’s good that I’m playing these sort of events and on such courses. I can only get better as I progress,” concluded Lahiri.
Lahiri, who will turn his attention to the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits early August continues to remain upbeat about making an impression on the international stage one day.
No doubt playing a lot more globally is helping Lahiri pick the right kind of practice and skill. Gathering these to him are far more important in the long term than hastening a victory. For now he doesn’t want to think of ranks and scores. “I think setting numerical targets is very limiting. You play every event to win, to be in contention and trying to be play your best. But having said that, I think for me it all boils down to trying to find my best or if I am not playing my best then to finding a rhythm that gives me confidence going into the next week, the next tournament.” In golf, you could be playing at your best and you may not be scoring very well or not be putting very well or a particular department of your game might not be upto the standard. That’s probably why golf’s legend Bobby Jones said, golf is played on a 5 inch course, that between your ears. Realising this, Lahiri has worked upon his mental strength along with his swing now for nearly a decade. Those tracking his career would admit, this remains a differentiator of the golf Lahiri is.
“All it boils down for me is that it’s getting all the positives from the tournament trying to build as much momentum as you can. Even bad weeks, you have to look at the things you did well. You work on those departments in which you were weak. I have always looked at it that way. I don’t think about whether or not I finished in the top 20 or top 30 or whatever it is. That for me is not a real picture of how you are playing.”
Going in as the only entry in the field from India, at a venue that intimidates even the most experienced of golfers, Anirban had to brace himself for more than his game at The Open. In hindsight, he the current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader believes it was his inexperience that cost him dearly after he closed with a four-day total of six-under-par 282.
As Anirban Lahiri returns from Europe back to America for the PGA Championship, he hopes to continue playing well in his bid to pick up the full playing card for the PGA Tour, which is the most sought after tour because America is the biggest market and gallery for golf. In terms of preparation, Lahiri prefers to stick to basics over bold changes. “Everything you seem to practice with is stuff you have done before. So it’s more about going through and revising everything you have done before. Rarely is it something different or new, infact it’s a lot of whats been done in the past. It’s a healthy process for me. And I have come to do this over the last few years. So its quite simple because you return to the fundamentals and basics and that’s what holds you in good stead.”
