Sentosa: Asian Tour chairman Kyi Hla Han on Monday lavished praise on Anirban Lahiri for his superb tied fifth finish at the prestigious PGA Championship, saying the Indian star will inspire a new generation of golfers in the region to take on the world.
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World No. 53 Lahiri, who had scores 70, 67 and 70 in the first three rounds respectively, took his 72-hole total to 13-under 275 – seven shots behind champion Jason Day of Australia.
He is now expected to return to the top-50 rankings, and perhaps play for the worldwide Team for the President’s Cup in Incheon, Korea in October this year.
Placed tied eighth as of now, he is bidding to become the first Indian to win a Major and only the second from Asia to win a Major after YE Yang’s effort at the 2009 PGA Championships. The Arjuna Awardee’s previous best show at a Major was a tied for 30th at the British Open earlier this year.
“It’s massive for me”, Lahiri said.
“I am sure Anirban’s exploits will inspire other Asian Tour golfers to have the self-belief that they too can perform well against the best players in the world overseas”, added Han. “I hit a good one and got a good bounce”, the 28-year-old Lahiri said.
“It also tells me that I can compete with the best on the toughest courses and the best fields”.
“But I’ve learned from that and I’ve gone back to my old routine, just sticking to my own strengths and working with those”.
Lahiri is playing his seventh Major, of which six have come in succession. He carries his Indian pride wherever he goes – well, his caddie does – as his golf bag and club head covers are adorned with the country’s flag.
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For his efforts Lahiri earned a $25,000 donation to the charity of his choice and a gold money clip similar to the one given out in the 1950s and 1960s to the victor of the competition. Anirban’s performance this week will further raise his hopes of representing India at next year’s Olympics. “I think that’s where I need to tighten it up, just around the greens and make a few more 10 and 12-footers”, he said. I won’t really say I was in contention here because I was a long way out but I was in the mix.
