By Rahul Banerji
Given his undoubted talent, Anirban Lahiri is yet to deliver the sort of results he would have expected of himself after six years on the flagship PGA Tour.
He has been close, a tied second, more than a few top-5 and top-10 finishes, career best round of 61 et al. Yet there remains a feeling that the world has not seen the best of this 33-year-old yet.
Going into the $4 million Bermuda Championship which opens at Port Royal on Thursday, Lahiri said at a virtual press conference organised by the PGA Tour that his near-misses had taught him valuable lessons.
“I’ve learned some really, really tough lessons,” the Florida-based golfer said.
“Golf, everybody says, is a good reflection of life and I think the last one and a half years is a clear example of that.
“I can’t say that I worked any less hard than I have in the past, I can’t say I wanted it any less than I do now or I have before.”
Returning to action after a long Covid-induced break, Lahiri has played three events with a tied sixth in Dominica late last month as his best outing.
He was in line for a really solid finish at the next tournament, the Sanderson Farms Championship but lost his way with a poor third day card.
These are the sort of inconsistencies that have dogged him for a while now.
That he realises.
“I think it’s more about what I need to do going forward and how I use that experience, not just the frustrating years, but the years that gave me a lot of joy and a lot of confidence,” he told reporters.
“It’s about taking all of that and putting it all together into something that you can use positively. That’s basically what I’m doing right now and just trying to stay in the present.”
Excerpts
On the Port Royal course:
“It’s a pretty nice golf course. It’s unique. Obviously the biggest challenge here is the wind and I consider myself to be a pretty good wind player.
“I’ve had a lot of good results at windy venues and the grasses are tropical, so it’s a lot like what I’m used to playing, primarily bermuda.
“So to that extent I feel quite comfortable. Last year I was playing really well, played really good. It was unfortunate that I got hurt, but up until that point of time I felt really comfortable on the golf course.
“Hopefully I’ll feel the same way this year when I get started and I’m looking forward to it, yeah.”
On where his game is now:
“I put a lot of work in during the lockdown when I was in India, put a lot of new processes, refreshed a lot of my old practicing and things that used to work for me. So obviously the effort is to get back to being able to perform at my best.
“So far this season has been good, I’ve been able to implement a lot of those changes. There’s still some things that are developing.
“I think as I get more tournaments in, as I get a little more experience in terms of handling some of the new attitudes, new approaches that I have on the golf course, it should gradually get better.”
On his recent performances:
“I’ve obviously had one good result and a couple of average results.
“I think the game has been a few loose holes every event, the game has been one bad round or mediocre round every event, and there’s been a lot of good golf and a lot of birdies and a lot of other positives as well.
“For me it was just identifying where some of those mistakes are coming from and what are the areas I need to tighten up.
“There’s definitely been some inconsistency with my iron play. My long game and driving by and large has been good. Barring one day out of the three events that I played, my putting’s been pretty solid.
“More or less most departments are in a good shape barring the odd inconsistency, which is exactly what I was trying to work on over the last few weeks.
On what he needs to do next:
“Things are generally looking in good shape. So I can’t really point a finger and say, ‘Oh, this department’s troubling me’.
“I don’t think any department’s troubling me at the moment, it’s just a matter of getting off to a good start.
“That’s something that I haven’t done as consistently, so that’s going to be one of the focuses and then keep my foot on the pedal and keep myself in it all four days.
“So yeah, so far, like I said, lots of positives. Trying to build on that and also get more consistent with a couple of the departments that have been a little bit on and off.”
On getting into the Olympic team:
“Without getting too far ahead into the future for other teams or Olympics or so many things that we have to play for, I think it all starts with right now and what I need to do right now and play well in the moment.
“So that’s all I’m focused on. Of course I have my attention and my goals set for a lot of those things, but right now I just have to make the most of every opportunity and try and chip away and keep moving forward.”
Also read: Lahiri makes a gamble pay with top-6 PGA Tour finish
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