Local hero Lahiri aims for hat-trick
India's rising star Anirban Lahiri will be hoping to cap a hat-trick of home victories next week when he tees up at the US$1.25 million Hero Indian Open.
The tournament will be staged in Lahiri's hometown, Bengaluru for the first time in its nearly half a century history.
A win in Bengaluru will cap a sensational finale to Lahiri's last appearance on home soil this season at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA).
The 25-year-old started his year on a bright note when he won his second Asian Tour title at the SAIL-SBI Open in February. Since then, he has gone on to enjoy three other top-10 finishes but it was his debut at the British Open in July that propelled him into the global spotlight.
Besides scoring an ace during his third round, Lahiri went on to finish tied-31st at Royal Lytham and St Annes, well ahead of the likes of former Open champions Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood.
"My growth in golf has been slow and steady. I didn't win on the Asian Tour for the first few years and on hindsight, it was probably good for me as I've learnt to appreciate how difficult it is to win," said Lahiri.
"Like how I fared at the Open Championship, I think you got to lose a few times to realize how difficult it is to win. In that sense, I guess it has come at the right time," added the Indian.
Lahiri knows that he will have huge support when he tees off at the Hero Indian Open and he is determined not to disappoint.
"Bengaluru is my hometown and it'll be nice if I do really well there. Again, I've got to keep pushing myself and move in the right direction from where I am today. Hopefully, I can do that," said Lahiri.
The Hero India Open is the oldest-running sporting event in India and is one of the flagship events on the Asian Tour.
The event will be staged from October 18-21 in Bengaluru as it aligns with the Indian Golf Union's vision to maximize the reach of quality golf across India, providing golfers and golf fans from across the country an opportunity to truly embrace one of Asia's oldest Opens.
Other stars expected to feature prominently at the Hero Indian Open include Ryder Cup star Peter Hanson of Sweden and Richie Ramsay of Scotland as well as England's James Morrison, who is another European Tour winner, along with many of Asia's leading players.
14-time Asian Tour winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand will lead a strong cast of Tour winners that include Sweden's Rikard Karlberg who has won twice in India, defending champion David Gleeson of Australia and Singapore's Mardan Mamat.