Press Trust of India
Doral (US), March 4: Anirban Lahiri got off to fine start carding a decent two-under 70 to be placed tied 11th at the end of the first round of the USD 9.5 million World Golf Cadillac Championships, the first WGC event of the year here Thursday. The event has no cut and the field has just 66 players.
Lahiri was four shots behind Scott Piercy and Marcus Fraser, who opened very strongly with 66 each. Tied at 11th with Lahiri were Rickie Fowler, Jamie Donaldson, Hideki Matsuyama and Matt Kuchar.
Playing on the Blue Monster course here, Lahiri had three birdies and three bogeys in his first nine, which started on the 10th. But on the second nine, he started with birdies on the first and second holes and then added a third birdie on eighth. Put alongside a bogey on sixth, it meant a two-under 34 and a day’s work of 70.
“It was a decent round. A couple of missed putts, but I hit it solid after a shaky start,” said Lahiri, at the end of the day’s play. “I am satisfied with the start and there are three more days and a lot of golf still to come.
“I am getting used to the place and Tour and I am loving my way around. And it’s been a learning experience each week. I am feeling very relaxed as I go into the next days,” the Indian golfer added.
Lahiri admittedly had a shaky start. He missed a birdie from seven feet and missed a par-putt from five feet for a bogey on 11th, his second hole. But he recovered well with a lovely 30-footer for birdie on the par-fourth 12th hole.
