Even in defeat, Anirban Lahiri became a legend

There is a way to lose a tournament, and then there is a way to lose a tournament.

PREMIUM

You can get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment, refuse to enter the fight, roll over and let the opposition trample all over you. Or, you can follow the Anirban Lahiri way at The Players Championship: battle so hard that you become a legend even in defeat.

With a performance for the ages, the 34-year-old from Bengaluru came agonisingly close to becoming only the second Indian to win on the PGA Tour (after Arjun Atwal, 2010 Wyndham Championship). Given the status of the Players Championship—the richest in professional golf with a total purse of $20 million that attracts one of the strongest fields of the year—it would have been the most glorious chapter in the annals of Indian golf.

In the end, despite a stunning final-day show where he needed to finish 25 holes in a weather-delayed tournament, Lahiri fell short by one shot. The Stadium course of TPC Sawgrass is a brutal test which tends to separate the men from the boys easily, but the Indian did not capitulate as most experts expected him to in the heat of the battle.

It needed the full expression of Cam Smith’s genius— the Australian is considered one of the finest putters in the world—to overcome the stoic Lahiri. The world No.6 was like a magician on the greens as he conjured up 13 single putts in 18 holes in a once-in-a-blue moon performance. It was so imperious Smith would have won the title by miles if not for the doggedness of the Indian star.

What made the Lahiri show even more unforgettable was how unexpectedness it was.

At No. 322 in the world, Lahiri had been struggling with his form. Since the second half of 2021, his best finish was a tied 40th place in Mayakoba in his last 15 starts and he had missed the cut in seven of them. That was certainly not the form anyone wants to take into the Pete Dye-designed golf course which can be vicious at every nook and corner.

Commentators on major US and European golf channels politely praised the way Lahiri found his way to the top of the leaderboard, but fully expected him to melt down in the severe pressure of the final round. That just did not happen.

What they probably did not fully appreciate is that the Indian is wired slightly differently.

A great example of his lateral thinking was in 2016, when just one year after getting into the PGA Tour, Lahiri decided to purchase his own house in West Palm Beach, Florida. That was an extremely unusual and risky step. Most players, even the established stars from Europe, tread cautiously the first few years and make the significant investment in a house only after they are sure of their long-term future in the USA.

“I look at it a little differently. PGA Tour is where the best players play, and this is where I want to be for the rest of my career. My decision of buying a house right now is my commitment to being part of the PGA Tour. It will help me root here,” he explained.

Monday also became a rallying moment for Indian golf. Like Aditi Ashok at the Tokyo Olympics last year, Lahiri galvanised the entire golfing community, and then some more, as they watched the action unfold at TPC Sawgrass.

World No. 157 Shubhankar Sharma, who was displaced as the top-ranked Indian by Lahiri as he moved to No. 89 after the Players, had travelled a long way to reach Johannesburg earlier in the day for a DP World Tour event, but instead of catching up on his sleep, he watched the complete telecast into the wee hours. Reigning PGTI No. 1 Udayan Mane, from the same coaching stable as Lahiri, incessantly chatted away into the night supporting his dear friend. Former India No. 1 amateur Rayhan Thomas, playing an important NCAA event at Myrtle Beach for Oklahoma State, said his teammates were all Lahiri supporters now as they kept a close eye on his battle with Smith.

The second-place finish was worth a whopping cheque of $2.18 million. The amount is significant, even though Lahiri would have happily traded it to get a chance to be with the trophy instead. A win would have come with so many perks – like a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour and invitations to the Masters and other majors.

However, from the Indian context, it is important to talk about the $2.18 million. It is the largest-ever individual cheque earned from a single event in any sport in the country’s history. That, coupled with the worldwide fame and adulation, is probably the best motivation for youngsters and their parents to look at a career in sports, and particularly golf, favourably.

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