KOHLER, Wis. — With many of the field’s most well-known big hitters inducing a common refrain of “missed fairway,” opportunity knocked for Anirban Lahiri.
Lahiri, a native of India and a player on the Asian and European Tours, outdistanced the field at the 2015 PGA Championship Long Drive Competition, held at Whistling Straits’ 593-yard par-5 second hole on Tuesday.
The drive from Lahiri easily bounced past the flag indicating J.B. Holmes’ lead at the time of 315 yards, rolled to the left edge of the fairway and came to a stop 327 yards from the tee.
Once the flag was moved for Lahiri, it stayed there for the rest of the day.
Lahiri will be rewarded with a gold money clip like the one Jack Nicklaus won for winning the Long Drive Competition in 1963 and still uses, as well as a $25,000 donation to a charity of his choosing.
The Long Drive Competition made a comeback at last year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla, as it was held for the first time since 1984 at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Alabama. Louis Oosthuizen surprised the field in 2014 by winning with a 340-yard drive, two yards better than Jason Day. This year, he only played the back nine, so he didn’t take the opportunity to defend his title.
“My nine holes were the opposite,” Oosthuizen said. “So I didn’t even hit that shot this year. Struggling last week with the driver, I think I probably would have just missed the fairway.”
“But it’s a great fun event. I think it’s great for the crowd, for the people to see that, to see the guys standing there and giving it a good bash.”
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- anirban lahiri
- pga championship lahiri
- Whistling Straits
