Taking Stock: Anirban Lahiri 2016 So Far

There is a busy stretch ahead for Anirban on the PGA TOUR – he is playing three weeks in a row

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ANIRBAN Lahiri in 2016

Indian golf embraced the success of Anirban Lahiri, riding with him on a memorable journey in 2015. The ride earned Lahiri a card on the PGA TOUR. But halfway through the season, the 56th ranked Indian is fighting a battle to extricate himself from the clutches of inconsistency. Lahiri has made 13 starts so far, finishing in the top 30 on four occasions and missed the cut in three minutes.

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Lahiri has fired a dozen rounds in the sixties, including a brilliant 64 in the first round of the CareerBuilder Challenge. He also made a 66 to start the Waste Management Phoenix Open, in another memorable start. Unfortunately for Anirban, he has been unable to stitch together four good rounds of golf.

Taking Stock: Anirban Lahiri 2016 So Far

The best example of a letdown came at the Shell Houston Open – he followed through a solid 69 in the opening round with a 78 in the second to stumble out of the tournament. It is a predicament that has haunted him throughout this season.

Anirban has slipped out of the top 50, largely due to his battle for consistency. At the Masters in April, he paid a heavy penalty for mixing up some poorly paid holes with otherwise impressive golf. His scores of 76-73-75-75 were laced with a generous sprinkling of bogeys that negated some memorable golf on the Augusta course.

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One of the aspects hurting Anirban has been low driving accuracy. He touched nearly 70% driving accuracy at the Zurich Classic, but for much of the season he has been driving at 56.45% accuracy. In the 44 round Anirban has played this season, he has made just 324 of a possible 574 fairways.

The difficulties off the tee has put enormous strain on Anirban’s approach game. He has made 62.47% greens in regulation, 461 of 738 on the PGA TOUR this season. The one saving grace for Anirban has been a stellar one putt percentage.

The 28 year old Indian is doing 43.46% with one putts, placing himself at 10th on the one putt statistic. Anirban is currently ranked 107th on the FedexCup table, with plenty to work on in the coming weeks. Only the top 125 qualify for the wealthy series at the end of the season.

There is a busy stretch ahead for Anirban on the PGA TOUR – he is playing three weeks in a row – the AT&T Byron Nelson, Dean & Deluca Invitational and the Memorial will take him through to early June. He will need a couple of high finishes to strengthen his cabinet and secure his card for 2017.a

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