At the Cadillac Championship at Doral on March 5.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Anirban Lahiri, a 27-year-old golfer from Bengaluru, is slated to make his U.S. debut at the $9.25 million Cadillac Championship at Doral on March 5.
Lahiri presently sits atop the Asian tour rankings with four victories over the past 11 months, including wins at the Indian and Malaysian Opens. He is currently ranked No. 35 in the world– considerably higher than Tiger Woods, a living legend of the sport.
Lahiri may be currently India’s top player, but he isn’t necessarily a trail blazer when it comes to Indians crashing the upper echelons of international golf.
First there was Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Indian to participate in the Masters, who climbed to No. 29 in the world rankings in March 2009.
Singh was followed by Arjun Atwal, who in 2010 notably became the first Indian player to ever win a PGA Tour event.
“I would never put myself ahead of them,” said Lahiri to The New York Times, before recounting a conversation he had with Atwal during a tournament last year in Japan.
Atwal explained to Lahiri: “You know, we have done all these things that everyone looks up to. You have the opportunity to do that at 27, 28. We did it at 35, 36. So you’ve got that much more time to outdo us and outdo yourself.”
Lahiri is certainly getting a head start on his predecessors — Atwal was 37-years-old when he won the Wyndham Championship, as was Singh when he elevated himself to the world’s top 30.
“I’m getting the opportunities at a much younger age than they did, and for me, that is the greatest gift: time,” Lahiri said.