Jack Nicklaus shares special bond with Anirban Lahiri

Jack Nicklaus, the most successful player in the history of golf, said he was rooting for Anirban Lahiri as the Indian ace went down the stretch in his battle with Cameron Smith at the Players Championship last month.

The 34-year-old Lahiri finished second in the $20 million flagship tournament on the PGA Tour last month, falling just one short of Smith. Among other things, a win would have secured a place in the Masters for him, where Nicklaus got things moving in the 86th edition by hitting the honorary tee shot.

The 82-year-old Nicklaus has struck a special relationship with Lahiri from the moment he moved to America in 2016. He offered a membership to the only Indian with a PGA Tour card in his much sought-after Bear’s Club in Jupiter, about 20 minutes from Lahiri’s West palm Beach resident.

Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Gary Player was asked a question on Indian golf, and Nicklaus took over the moment his South African friend finished.

“Anirban Lahiri is a member at the Bear’s Club, and I see him quite often,” said the six-time Masters and 18-time major champion.

“What a nice young man. Handles himself beautifully, polite, good player. I have nothing against Cameron Smith, but when they were coming down the stretch, because I knew Anirban well, I was really rooting because I thought he would really help the game of golf in his country.”

Nicklaus recalled a conversation with Lahiri a few days ago.

“He played really well. What did he lose by? One? I asked him, 'You’ve got a couple of million dollars to soothe your wounds. And he said, ‘Yeah, but I’d have rather had the 3 million!’,” said Nicklaus.

Lahiri has often spoken about his admiration for Nicklaus and his mentorship.

“The first time I saw Mr Nicklaus at the club, I just wanted to say hello to him. And we ended up chatting for nearly half an hour. That’s how we started. He has always had a lot of time for me, and is someone I am very comfortable approaching for any advice,” Lahiri added.

Lahiri has played in two Masters and has a 100 per cent record of making the weekend cut. In 2015, in his first Masters, he became only the eighth player in the history of the tournament to make a par on each of his 18 holes in the final round.

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