Anand Datla
May 06, 2016: It seems that Anirban Lahiri’s golf is coming together just when he needed it. The Indian worked on his game during a two week break in the aftermath of a disappointing run at the Masters. If the first round in the Wells Fargo Championship is any indication of the state of his game, then he is well on track to a steep ascent. Anirban Lahiri struck a sizzling 66 to take the clubhouse lead midway through the first day in Charlotte. As the day progressed, Steve Wheatcroft and Andrew Loupe were the only men to overhaul the Indian after they shot 65 to go one better than the Indian golfer.
The big stars had it difficult – Rickie Fowler was lying T30 after a dull 71 in the first round. Rory McIlroy turned in four over 40 before recovering marginally. He finished the day at one over 73, the threat of missing the cut a real prospect at T75 on the leaderboard.
Lahiri’s round was spectacular – three birdies on either side helping the Indian top the charts when half the players were back in the cabin. He birdied three of the four par-5s on Thursday and twice made back to back birdies to card a brilliant 66.
Anirban made 66.67% greens in regulation and gained nearly five shots with his putting. But the real secret to his first round success lay in the manner in which he used his irons to give himself those birdie opportunities.
“Anytime you have a bogey-free card, it’s fantastic,” said Lahiri. “I feel like my game’s gotten better every week I’ve played. The standards that I’ve set for myself, I’ve played mediocre or average golf the last few months. I definitely feel like I should be competing more consistently.”
“The stuff my coach and I worked on after the Masters, when I took a couple of weeks off, it’s beginning to come together,” added Lahiri, who felt that a good round was long overdue.
Anirban was also quizzed about his enthusiasm for the Rio Olympics. “I think the Olympics is a huge stage for India in terms of golf,” he said, in stark contrast with the markedly cold reception to the games from many other golfers around the world.
