Anirban Lahiri leads after first round of Panasonic Open India – Golf News
Indian Anirban Lahiri posted a three-under par 69 in the opening round of the Panasonic Open India while defending his title at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday, March 29, 2012.
The venue of the tournament offered extremely tough conditions to the participants, as they found it hard to stay focused.
However, Lahiri looked superb on the course, as he started his round with a birdie on the very first hole followed by another on the third.
He had a similar start to his back nine where he carded birdies on the 10th and 12th holes. Overall, he scored five birdies against two bogeys to finish on top of the leaderboard.
According to Lahiri, it was the toughest day he has ever observed while playing at the Delhi Golf Club.
“This is my first time playing in these swirling winds at the Delhi Golf Club,” said Lahiri, a two-time Asian Tour winner.
He continued, “I was talking to Shiv’s (Kapur) long-time caddie who was on the bag for Peter (Karmis) and he said he hasn’t experienced this condition in 34 years!”
“Today was a brand new experience for me and I’m happy with the way I played, especially with the wind blowing at 30 or 40 kilometres per hour. It was all about execution and not much about strategy,” added the 24-year-old, who will make his British Open
debut in July.
Prom Meesawat of Thailand was among the eight players who finished one stroke behind the leader at two-under par 70.
Meesawat carded a total of three birdies against his lone bogey that came on the par-four ninth hole.
According to him, the windy conditions forced his par putt on the final hole of the day to miss the hole. Otherwise, he could have easily managed to share the lead with Lahiri.
Moreover, he said that he is very well aware of the course because of his past experiences at the same venue.
Yet, he does not want to take it for granted because anyone can score low and gain a lead over him. He needs to be consistent and focused on his game in order to remain in contention till the final round.
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