Anirban Lahiri: Been here seven years, haven’t gotten over the line yet

Anirban Lahiri reacts after missing a shot on the 18th hole during the final round on Monday. Pic/AP, PTI

Coming into the final round with a one-shot lead, Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri gave it his all but fell short by a stroke to end second at the USD 20 million PLAYERS Championship here. This was nonetheless an impressive return to form for the seasoned pro as he walked away with a career-best USD 2.18 million in earnings.

Lahiri (69) needed a birdie on the 18th hole, the 72nd of the tournament, to force a play-off with a charged-up Cameron Smith of Australia, who began the final round with four birdies in a row. Smith carded 66 and totalled 13-under, despite a nervous bogey on the 18th, while Lahiri ended at 12-under after a superb birdie on the iconic Island Green on 17th and a par on the 18th.

Good opportunity

"I want to win. I've been here seven years; haven't gotten over the line yet. That's definitely a monkey I want to get off my back. Today was as good an opportunity as any," said a disappointed Lahiri, who was bidding to become the second Indian after Arjun Atwal to win on the PGA TOUR. But the performance overall was a major boost to his confidence. "I'm just relieved. I've gone through two years of playing horrible. The last time I contended in a field this good was at Memorial maybe, five years ago, or even that was a back-door second. I shot 7-under on Sunday. It's been a long time since I've been in this position in a quality field like this," he said. Smith, who started the final round at seven-under to Lahiri's 11-under, was on fire though the Indian kept himself in the frame for most of the time.

When he did seem to fall off, as it looked after the double bogey on eighth, he pulled himself back with a stunning eagle, his third of the week. And then again when Smith seemed to be running away and the holes were running out, Lahiri reeled in a brilliant birdie on the challenging par-three 17th.

Close finish

The door opened just a bit more when Smith bogeyed the 18th and the gap was down to one. Lahiri needed to birdie the 18th to force a play-off, but his approach fell short of the green.

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