The world watches as India’s Anirban Lahiri falls one short

Anirban Lahiri created Indian golfing history as he capped an astonishing run through the world’s most lucrative tournament to finish second -- one agonising stroke from forcing a play-off.

Lahiri, 34, shot 12-under par 276 at the Players Championship, dubbed the “fifth Major”, to finish a shot behind Australian winner Cameron Smith at the Stadium Course at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, as the golfing world watched the world No 322 mount an unexpected challenge over the 72 holes.

The Pune-born, Florida-based player was at the cusp of what would have been the greatest achievement by an Indian golfer -- his second place still ranks alongside other PGA Tour and European Tour wins for the enormity of the tournament -- to earn a prize money of $2.18 million, easily the biggest pay day for an Indian athlete.

Smith’s winner’s cheque of $3.6 million, and the total prize money in the US PGA’s flagship event of $20 million, dwarfs the returns for winning any of the four Majors. In fact, Lahiri’s prize money is higher than what the winner of three of the Majors would receive, with only the US Open offering $2.25 million to the winner. 

Also Read | Even in defeat, Anirban Lahiri became a legend

Lahiri caught the attention of global golf watchers when he shot a career-best 67 in the first round before rain and high winds battered the tournament on the US east coast.

But placed a lowly 209 in the FedExCup standings (to determine who qualifies for the play off events at the end of the season in the world’s biggest golf tour), that round was seen more as a one-off. Until the man searching for his first win on the US PGA Tour — Arjun Atwal’s 2010 Wyndham Championship win is the only Indian success on the tour — showed his skill and mental toughness in demanding conditions to emerge the 54-hole leader in a third round that was split between Sunday and Monday.

And even in the final round, even though Smith went on a birdie spree early, Lahiri kept managing to claw his way back into contention.

Despite a double bogey in the par-3 eighth hole, Lahiri, whose best golfing moment in the US was a tied fifth finish in the 2015 PGA Championship, did not let his focus slip as many top players faltered in the groups in front.

With his tournament hopes on the line, the co-leader took an unplayable lie with a stroke penalty, moving way back to get the shot over the trees. He stayed absolutely calm, requesting a group enjoying lunch to move aside for him, and lofting the ball over the trees to get on the green.

Lahiri — the first 54-hole leader to shoot a final round in the 60s in the tournament and not win since DA Weibring in 1985 — birdied the par-five ninth hole, had his third eagle of the week on the par-five 11th, and birdied the famous par-3 17th, before the last hole drama unfolded.

With Lahiri in the hunt, Smith, a 28-year-old with four PGA Tour titles, was three shots clear when he found water on the final fairway. With the lead down to one shot, and with the Aussie watching anxiously on TV at the clubhouse, Lahiri came within a couple of feet of finding that birdie that would’ve forced a play-off.

Still, the sensational performance reinforced Lahiri’s philosophy from earlier in the week.

“The beauty about what we do,” he said before the tournament began, “is that you’re one week away from being a PGA Tour winner. You’re one week away from being at Augusta. You’re one week away from having a two-, three-year exemption. You’re one week away from you having a different kind of conversation with me.”

On Sunday, as the clubhouse leader with a one-shot lead after 11 holes in the third round, he said: “I’m just happy that I’m playing well. I’m just happy that I’m hitting my irons well. I’m just happy. When you are in that state of mind, you usually play well, and that’s what’s happening.

“It’s not every week that you play well, but you play well in a week where people can actually see golf shots, they can see you play, it makes a bigger difference.”

Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Indian to break into the top 100 in world rankings, hailed Lahiri’s performance.

“It was a stunning performance on the PGA Tour, so much control. This effort won’t go to waste. What Aditi Ashok did in the Tokyo Olympics (where she was co-leader in the final round) and now what my brother Anirban has done is a commendable feat for golf in India with so many good players coming up now.”

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