Template:Infobox golfer Anirban Lahiri (born 29 June 1987) is an Indian professional golfer. He has played on the Asian Tour, European Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf. He was awarded the 2014 Arjuna Award.[1][2] and was also the recipient of the "Sera Bangali" award in 2015, given by the Anandabazar Patrika.[3]
Early life
Lahiri hails from a Bengali family. He learned to play golf at the age of eight from his father, Dr. Tushar Lahiri, who was a physician with the armed forces and a recreational golfer.[4]
Professional career
Lahiri joined the Asian Tour in 2008. He picked up his first victory in 2011 at the Panasonic Open and his second victory in 2012 at the SAIL-SBI Open. His best finish on the Order of Merit came in 2014 with his maiden overseas win on the Asian Tour - CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters which he later followed up with another one at the Venetian Macau Open. He finished 3rd on the Order of Merit in 2013.
Lahiri broke into the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in March 2014 following a consistent season which included two victories on the Asian Tour.
Lahiri has also had a lot of success on the Professional Golf Tour of India, where he has won eleven events and the Order of Merit in 2009.[5]
The big break came for him when qualified for his maiden major tournament – the 2012 Open Championship at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lancashire. He made it a most memorable outing, first by making the cut (68-72) and then with a hole-in-one at the par-3 9th hole in the third round en route to a T31 finish.
In February 2015, Lahiri claimed his first official win on the European Tour at the Maybank Malaysian Open, with a one stroke victory over Bernd Wiesberger. He shot a 10-under-par round of 62 during the third round to position himself going into the final day and came from four shots behind to prevail by one shot. Later the same month, Lahiri won his second event on the European Tour in his home country of India, at the Hero Indian Open. He came from seven strokes behind in the final round to force a playoff with Shiv Chawrasia, which he won with a birdie on the first extra hole. The two wins shot Lahiri into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking qualifying him for the 2015 Masters Tournament. He was labelled as a "rookie to watch" and the "new face of Indian golf." He is the third Indian national to play in the Masters,[6] after Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal.[7] He made the cut at his first appearance and ended the tournament with scores of 71-75-74-72 on his four rounds, leaving him tied for 49th with Jason Dufner.[8]
In August 2015 at the PGA Championship which took place at Whistling Straits, Lahiri posted rounds of 70-67-70-68 for a score of −13. Despite a bogey at the 72nd hole, Lahiri finished in a tie for fifth place in the tournament and set a new record for the highest finish by an Indian professional golfer in a major.[9] The top five finish on Sunday capped a memorable week in Wisconsin for Lahiri, whose performance catapulted him to 38th in the world golf ranking.[10] He also won the PGA of America's pre-tournament long-drive contest on the Tuesday, hitting a 327-yard drive that won him a traditional gold money clip and a $25,000 charitable donation in his name. His performance set multiple records for an Indian golfer; he became the first Indian to shoot sub-par scores in all four rounds in a major, his total of 13-under was the best relative to par by an Indian at any major and his five-under 67 in the second round was also the best round by an Indian at any major.[11]
Lahiri was named to the 2015 Presidents Cup squad, the first player from India to earn the honor. Lahiri attempted to qualify for the PGA Tour through the 2015 Web.com Tour Finals after earning enough non-member points to qualify. He was the highest-ranked player in the Finals, 40th at the start of the four-event tournament. Lahiri only played in the first two events, but earned enough for a PGA Tour card. He notched his first top-10 of the 2016 PGA Tour season with a T-6 finish at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational.
Lahiri also qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics, earning a spot in the field of 60 players to compete at the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro. He also led for the first time after 54 holes in a PGA Tour event during the CIMB Classic in 2017, finishing T-3. He would go on to achieve his best PGA Tour finish of T-2 at the 2017 Memorial Tournament. Lahiri was once again named in the 2017 Presidents Cup team. Lahiri finished the 2017 PGA Tour season finishing a career high 51st in the FedEx Cup standings. In the 2018 PGA Tour season, Lahiri shot his lowest round on the PGA Tour, a 61 at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.[12] His best finish was a T-5 at the CJ Cup in the 2018 PGA Tour season. Anirban struggled in the 2019 season and ended up losing his PGA Tour card by finishing outside the top 125 of the FedEx Cup. He gained his PGA Tour card back for the 2020 season through the Korn Ferry Tour Finals by finishing 10th in the overall standing.[13] Lahiri struggled on the 2020 PGA Tour and finished 219th in the FedEx Cup standings, playing less than 15 events in large part due to being unable travel back to the United States and being stuck in India due to the country lockdown as a result of the pandemic.[12] Lahiri managed to hold on to his PGA Tour card due to circumstances related to the pandemic which resulted in postponement and cancellation of events, players who were on the PGA Tour for the 2020 season maintained guaranteed status for the 2021 season.[14] He finished 118th in the FedEx Cup for the 2021 season retaining his card for the 2022 PGA Tour season with a highest finish of T3 at the Barbasol Championship.[15]
In March 2022, Lahiri finished second at The Players Championship by one stroke to Cameron Smith. The Players is held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It has one of the strongest field of the year and has the richest purse of any tournament. By finishing second, Lahiri won $2,180,000, this is more than he ever won in a full PGA Tour season prior to this tournament.[16]
LIV Golf
In August 2022, it was announced that Lahiri had joined LIV Golf.[17] At his first LIV Golf tournament, Lahiri finished in a three-way tie for first place at the LIV Golf Invitational Boston with Dustin Johnson and Joaquín Niemann. Lahiri lost the playoff to Johnson to finish second, earning $1,812,500 in the process.
Personal life
Lahiri is a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.[18] He is of Bengali descent and speaks Bengali, Hindi and Punjabi in addition to English.[19] In May 2014, he married his long-time partner, Ipsa Jamwal. His personal interests include listening to music and computer gaming.[20]
Professional wins (18)
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 Feb 2015 | Maybank Malaysian Open1 | −16 (70-72-62-68=272) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Bernd Wiesberger |
| 2 | 22 Feb 2015 | Hero Indian Open1 | −7 (73-65-70-69=277) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Shiv Chawrasia |
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015 | Hero Indian Open | Template:Flagicon Shiv Chawrasia | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Asian Tour wins (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 Apr 2011 | Panasonic Open (India)1 | −13 (65-71-68-71=275) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Manav Jaini, Template:Flagicon Mardan Mamat |
| 2 | 25 Feb 2012 | SAIL-SBI Open1 | −14 (65-69-67-73=274) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Prom Meesawat |
| 3 | 9 Mar 2013 | SAIL-SBI Open1 (2) | −15 (71-68-66-68=273) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Rashid Khan |
| 4 | 27 Apr 2014 | CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters | −17 (70-69-64-68=271) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Baek Seuk-hyun, Template:Flagicon Cameron Smith |
| 5 | 26 Oct 2014 | Venetian Macau Open | −17 (61-73-67-66=267) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Scott Hend, Template:Flagicon Prom Meesawat |
| 6 | 8 Feb 2015 | Maybank Malaysian Open2 | −16 (70-72-62-68=272) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Bernd Wiesberger |
| 7 | 22 Feb 2015 | Hero Indian Open2 | −7 (73-65-70-69=277) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Shiv Chawrasia |
1Co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India
2Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Asian Tour playoff record (4–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | Panasonic Open (India) | Template:Flagicon Manav Jaini, Template:Flagicon Mardan Mamat | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2012 | SAIL-SBI Open | Template:Flagicon Prom Meesawat | Won after concession on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2013 | SAIL-SBI Open | Template:Flagicon Rashid Khan | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 2015 | Hero Indian Open | Template:Flagicon Shiv Chawrasia | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2016 | Venetian Macao Open | Template:Flagicon Pavit Tangkamolprasert | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Professional Golf Tour of India wins (14)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Sep 2009 | Haryana Open | −10 (69-69-71-69=278) | 1 stroke | Template:Flagicon Chinnaswamy Muniyappa |
| 2 | 8 Nov 2009 | BILT Open | −20 (66-65-66-71= 268) | 7 strokes | Template:Flagicon Naman Dawar |
| 3 | 14 May 2010 | PGTI Players Championship (Aamby Valley) | −24 (65-65-67-67=264) | 6 strokes | Template:Flagicon Shamim Khan |
| 4 | 2 Jul 2010 | Aircel PGTI Players Championship (Oxford) | −21 (65-68-67-67=267) | 6 strokes | Template:Flagicon Himmat Rai |
| 5 | 30 Oct 2010 | BILT Open | −11 (68-68-71-70=277) | 4 strokes | Template:Flagicon Amardeep Malik |
| 6 | 11 Feb 2011 | Aircel PGTI Players Championship (Tollygunge) | −18 (68-65-65-64=270) | 8 strokes | Template:Flagicon Rashid Khan, Template:Flagicon Jyoti Randhawa |
| 7 | 2 Apr 2011 | Aircel PGTI Players Championship (Panchkula) | −14 (72-65-70-67=274) | 2 strokes | Template:Flagicon Mukesh Kumar |
| 8 | 9 Apr 2011 | Panasonic Open (India)1 | −13 (65-71-68-71=275) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Manav Jaini, Template:Flagicon Mardan Mamat |
| 9 | 25 Feb 2012 | SAIL-SBI Open1 | −14 (65-69-67-73=274) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Prom Meesawat |
| 10 | 9 Mar 2013 | SAIL-SBI Open1 (2) | −15 (71-68-66-68=273) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Rashid Khan |
| 11 | 28 Jun 2013 | PGTI Players Championship (Oxford) | −10 (71-67-68-72=278) | Playoff | Template:Flagicon Shamim Khan |
| 12 | 5 Jul 2013 | Eagleburg Open | −20 (73-62-64-69=268) | 5 strokes | Template:Flagicon S. Chikkarangappa |
| 13 | 29 Dec 2013 | McLeod Russel Tour Championship | −17 (66-71-65-69=271) | 4 strokes | Template:Flagicon Rahil Gangjee |
| 14 | 1 Feb 2014 | Ahmedabad Masters | −14 (64-70-71-69=274) | 6 strokes | Template:Flagicon Rahil Gangjee |
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
Playoff record
LIV Golf Invitational Series playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2022 | LIV Golf Invitational Boston | Template:Flagicon Dustin Johnson, Template:Flagicon Joaquín Niemann | Johnson won with eagle on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T49 | T42 | |||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | |||||
| The Open Championship | T31 | CUT | T30 | T68 | CUT | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T5 | CUT | 75 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | ||||
| The Open Championship | NT |
Template:Legend
Template:Legend
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 7 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (2015 Open – 2016 Masters)
- Longest streak of top 10s – 1
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | T74 | C | CUT | 2 |
Template:Legend
Template:Legend
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Results in World Golf Championships
Results not in chronological order before 2015.
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T71 | T28 | |||
| Match Play | T34 | T28 | |||
| Invitational | T53 | T33 | T6 | ||
| Champions | T28 | T40 |
Template:Legend Template:Legend "T" = Tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- Asian Junior Golf Team Championship: 2005 (Team Gold Medal)[21]
- World Junior Golf Team Championship: 2005[22]
- Eisenhower Trophy: 2006[23]
- Doha Asian Games: 2006[24]
- Nomura Cup: 2007[25]
Professional
- World Cup (representing India): 2013, 2018
- EurAsia Cup (representing Asia): 2014, 2016, 2018
- Presidents Cup (representing the International team): 2015, 2017
See also
- 2014 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2015 Web.com Tour Finals graduates
- 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Finals graduates
- List of golfers with most Asian Tour wins
References
- ↑ LIST OF ARJUNA AWARD WINNERS - Football | Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. yas.nic.in. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Retrieved 25 December 2007.
- ↑ List of Arjuna Awardees (1961–2018). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India). Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ↑ ABP Ananda recognises Bengali achievers with Sera Bangali Awards. bestmediainfo.com(28 August 2015). Retrieved 26 December 2022.
- ↑ Next Step for Anirban Lahiri, India's Top Golfer: U.S. Debut. The New York Times(4 March 2015). Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ↑ Anirban Lahiri profile. Professional Golf Tour of India. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ↑ Augusta Masters 2015: Five Rookies to Watch. NDTV Sports(6 April 2015). Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ↑ What does Lahiri do on an average day? Makes a cut at Masters!. The Tribune(12 April 2015). Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Anirban Lahiri notches best major finish by an Indian player. Yahoo Sports(16 August 2015). Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ↑ Anirban Lahiri. Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ↑ Anirban Lahiri back in World's Top-40, certain for President's Cup. ZNews(17 August 2015). Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Anirban Lahiri – Profile. PGA Tour. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ↑ KFT Finals (Excludes Top 25). PGA Tour. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ↑ Eligibility adjustments made for 2020-21 PGA Tour season. PGA Tour. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ↑ FedExCup – Official Standings – 2021. PGA Tour. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ↑ Second (or third) doesn't always suck: For Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey, there is solace. Golf Channel(14 March 2022). Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ↑ Open champion Cameron Smith, five others leave PGA Tour for LIV Golf. ESPN(30 August 2022). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ↑ India's Anirban Lahiri charges late to grab Players Championship lead over Harold Varner, Tom Hoge, Smits, Garry. jacksonville.com. The Florida Times-Union(13 March 2022). Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ↑ Indian Golfer Anirban Lahiri's Life Lessons. The Wall Street Journal(15 January 2015). Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ↑ Anirban Lahiri profile. Asian Tour. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ↑ Asian Junior Golf Team Championship Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Briefs – India finish 12th. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ↑ Eisenhower Trophy (World Amateur Team Championship) Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Always aiming higher
- ↑ Nomura Cup (Asia Pacific Amateur Team Golf Championship) Template:Webarchive