By Rahul Banerji
Anirban Lahiri mixed six birdies with one double-bogey to script a tied 43rd place finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Sunday, making up 20 places to start the year on a reasonably lucrative note, 15 shots behind runaway winner Matt Kuchar.
India’s sole representative on the blue riband PGA Tour, Lahiri had a four-day total of seven-under par 273 that included a final day round of four under 66 to go with scores of 68, 68 and 71. But for the two dropped shots on the par-3 seventh hole, Lahiri would have his first blemish-free round at the Waialae Country Club.
At the top end of the leaderboard, Kuchar had to overcome three early bogeys and mount a late charge to set up a 4-under 66 and a four-shot cushion over second-placed Andrew Putnam.
Kuchar’s 22-under 258 was built on a pair of 7-under 63 and two successive rounds of 66 even as Putnam closed the $6.4 million event with an 18-under 262.
Making a charge
At one point, Putnam even led as Kuchar dropped three shots in his first five holes. Had it not been for a birdie immediately after, the eventually winner would have fallen even further behind, but he was to soon crank it up with a pair of birdies after had had caught up with Putnam.
One bogey from 29-year-old gave Kuchar some breathing space and with the two birdies on the 15th and 16th holes he was all of a sudden three up on Putnam.
Multiple winner
A final birdie on the par-5 18th made the lead four shots as Putnam faded away, leaving the 40-year-old the first multiple winner of the season after having ended a four-year title drought with his Mayakoba Classic win last November in Mexico. Overal, it was Kuchar’s ninth PGA Tour title.
Canada’s Corey Conners, a qualifier, was one of four players tied for third, Australian Marc Leishman, Hudson Swafford (64) and Chez Reavie the others ahead of Davis Love III, who was all by himself in seventh place.
“It was not at all what I was looking for,” Kuchar said on Golf Channel afterwards.
“If I just keep plugging along I know good things are going to happen. Andrew was tough there. He was battling me … It was nice to have that pressure and be able to come through and make some birdies coming. I’ve never had a cushion like this coming down the last. Getting the birdie on 15 and 16, it made No. 18 awfully nice to play.”
“To win two out of three is crazy to comprehend.”
Also read: Twitter to live stream more PGA Tour events in multi-year deal
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