Gaganjeet, Lahiri gear up for CIMB

October 23, 2013. This week’s CIMB Classic is possibly the best opportunity for Indian golfers, Gaganjeet and Anirban to wriggle best in self, in order to improve their …

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October 23, 2013. This week’s CIMB Classic is possibly the best opportunity for Indian golfers, Gaganjeet and Anirban to wriggle best in self, in order to improve their rankings on Order of Merit of Asian Tour and muster better opportunities and bonuses henceforth.

 

Gaganjeet competes at the $7 million CIMB Classic, which starts Thursday, ranked third on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He trails current leader Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand by more than $400,000 but hopes to narrow the gap with a solid result at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club here.

 

“Kiradech is pretty far ahead of all of us but every penny counts. The winner’s check is around $1 million and if you win this thing, apart from winning the Order of Merit, there are other perks to enjoy. I’m going to keep my head stable to be in contention on Sunday,” the four-time Asian Tour winner said to IANS.

 

[highlight] You can open up like America, for instance, if you play well enough, maybe get some kind of status, some conditional status if anything else, even if you don’t win, says Lahiri [/highlight]

At CIMB, Bhullar is paired to play along with Spanish stalwart Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler of the United States in the opening 2 rounds. He is targeting another top finish this week after ending his campaign last season as the best-placed Asian player in tied 10th.

 

“This is definitely one of my favourite golf courses on the Asian Tour. I’ve played well here and I just want to try to give my 100 percent this week,” said Bhullar.

 

So is seventh ranked Anirban Lahiri, a three-time Asian Tour winner, hopes to carry his fine form into the CIMB Classic after finishing second and one-shot ahead of Ernie Els of South Africa at the Macau Open last Sunday.

 

“It’s always good to come into a big event with some confidence behind you. When you play a couple of good tournaments with low rounds, it helps you to believe in yourself and do even better,” said Lahiri, who finished in tied 26th last year.

 

The 26-year-old is gearing for a big week as the winner will receive playing exemptions on the Asian Tour and PGA Tour and earn a spot at the 2014 Masters Tournament.

 

“It’s a great opportunity for all of us. The way I look at it is you get a good performance in right now and can you open up a lot of doors. You can open up like America, for instance, if you play well enough, maybe get some kind of status, some conditional status if anything else, even if you don’t win,” he said.

 

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