By Rahul Banerji
Former winner Anirban Lahiri launches his Hero Indian Open campaign in a short while knowing his putter could be the difference between make and break on the DLF greens in Gurgaon.
“Putting is going to be the major change between Valspar (where he played last week for a tied 30th finish) and here,” India’s only representative on the flagship PGA Tour and 2015 Hero Indian Open champion, said. “At the Copperhead, the greens were like glass and here, I was coming up short repeatedly (in Wednesday morning’s Pro-Am).
Need for speed
“I need to recalibrate my speed on the greens. That will be my biggest challenge here, the only adjustment I need to make here, really.”
“My game has been a bit inconsistent but it is moving in the right direction. Over the last four weeks, I’ve made every cut but had bad weekends. But I’ve managed to single out the problems which need to be fixed and I just need to pull it together and stay focused.
“Basically I need to clean up my process on the weekend rounds. The problem with me is I always try too hard and lose my rhythm in the process. Every week I feel I’m getting better. Now I just have to keep things together for this week, keep my head in a good space.”
Fresh focus
Side by side, new parenthood is a new and exciting aspect that Lahiri has been factoring in on the grind of professional golf. With daughter Tisya arriving in his life not three months ago, life promises to be different now.
“Actually my family is still here in Pune so haven’t still haven’t felt the brunt of it (daddy duties). It’s been difficult staying away from my wife and daughter but they will join me in the US in a few weeks.
“It (parenthood) is amazing. Anyone here who is a parent will know that it brings a brand new perspective to life. You can have the worst day on the course come back and five minutes of face-time on the phone and the whole world is a different place.
“It has also motivated me to play better, play my best golf again. Lots of good things, lots of positives from her (Tisya’s) arrival.”
Also read: New daddy Anirban back in PGA Tour action at Genesis Open
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