Anand Datla
Augusta, Georgia, April 10: Anirban Lahiri came to Augusta hoping to make a mark, just as he did in the previous major, the PGA Championship. A top ten finish at the Whistling Straits helped propel him into the PGA TOUR. Unfortunately though, Lahiri struggled to make an impression all week, signing off with a tame 75 in the final round of The Masters. He ended the week at T44 at 11-over 299, but with several players still on the course, Lahiri could likely move up a little.
The wind has been a factor this week, adding an enormous layer of protection to an already strong course at the Augusta National Golf Club. Under difficult conditions, try as he did, Anirban just could not put the pieces in the jigsaw together. (Read more in Golf)
On Sunday, he got off to a disastrous start, in his own words. “Disaster struck me. Eight inches is all it took,” he ruminated. “My second shot was too far up. If it was, say eight inches back, it would have been six feet for birdie.” As it is, Anirban took five shots to get up and down from 26 yards to the pin to start his day with a triple bogey seven at the par-4 third hole.
A bruised Lahiri also added bogeys at four and seven as he slipped to 13-over for the week. As has become customary for Anirban, he did show some pride from there.
He played the final eleven holes in two under with birdies at 8 & 10. He was in a spot of bother at the 13th when his 282yard tee shot landed in the left rough. But he did well to dig himself out of trouble with a good 91yard rescue shot to the centre of the fairway. He managed to get up and down in three to make par.
I asked him if playing here under these windy conditions, will help him in the next two majors – the US Open and the Open. “Yeah, I think this will certainly help. The US Open is setup to be tough. They put a gun to your head from the first moment at the tee. So I am sure playing here will help me prepare well for that test at Oakmont.”
With his job done for the week, Anirban is heading to Florida to his new home. His coach Vijay Divecha is here with Lahiri and the two of them will work to iron out some of the chinks in his game. Inconsistency has been the biggest curse on Lahiri in recent months.
“It is better to get some rest than playing average golf,” said Lahiri, when quizzed if he might miss playing tournament golf. “I look forward to do things I need to do to settle down, get my SSN, lease a car, all the normal things. I believe it will help me relax and refresh. I will be ready for New Orleans in two weeks time.”
“It has been a frustrating week,” admitted Lahiri. “My strengths – driving and chipping, did not come off this week. I have been inconsistent too.
“I will go back and see what I need to do to address these things. I need to secure my card on the PGA TOUR, but I am well on my way,” signed off Anirban in a reassuringly confident tone.
