There have been better runs in golf than Anirban Lahiri’s seven birdies in the last seven holes at the Venetian Macao Open; but when it comes to purple patches in a solitary round, his might well be one of the brightest.
The record, of nine consecutive birdies, is held by Mark Calcavecchia on the PGA Tour, and Colin Montomerie on the European Tour. Calcavecchia’s effort came on a Saturday of the 2009 RBC Canadian Open, while Montgomerie made a massive move on the final day of the Indonesian Open in 2005.
Nearly half a dozen players have made eight birdies in a row. However, it is one thing to play attacking golf and make plenty of birdies when not in contention, and another to make them in the heat of the battle with a possibility of title looming large. And then, to make that run in the closing holes on a Sunday is a different level altogether.
For that reason, Kevin Streelman’s seven birdies in his last seven holes to win the Travelers Championship in 2014, Lahiri doing the same to reach the play-off in Macao before losing and Charl Schwartzel making four starting from the 15th hole onwards at Augusta National to win the 2011 Masters, are my three choices of standout examples of sustained brilliance.
Sixth birdie in a row! @anirbangolf is in it to win it. #VenetianMacaoOpen #whereitsaAT pic.twitter.com/T4ZEzzH9qp
— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) October 16, 2016
If someone put a gun to my head and told me to rank the three, I would go with Schwartzel as one, Lahiri two and Streelman three. The reasoning is simple – Schwartzel may have made only four successive birdies, but that came on a golf course that is as demanding as Augusta National and in a tournament as massive as the Masters.
They say the Masters begins on the back nine on Sunday, such is the pressure of vying for the Green Jacket. Schwartzel showed nerves of steel to overtake the clubhouse target of 12-under par set by the Aussie duo of Adam Scott and Jason Day.
It’s unfortunate that the tournament will forever be known for the astonishing collapse of Rory McIlroy. I have put Lahiri’s 65 in second place, even though Streelman won while the Indian did not.
That’s because unlike Streelman, who really had no hope of winning the tournament when making the turn at Travelers (he was seven behind the leaders at that stage), Lahiri held the lead earlier in the day and lost it, and also seemed to be struggling with his swing a bit.
It wasn’t until Streelman came to the 18th hole that he felt the pressure of being in contention. On the other hand, Lahiri not only was trying to fight the frustration of losing his lead, he was also trying to force the issue throughout the back nine.
He knew he was trailing Pavit Tangkamolprasert, and the only way to catch up was to apply continuous pressure. It was a fascinating case of mind over matter.
Record round: Scott Piercy
The amazing charge may not have ended in a trophy, but he ensured one thing – years from now when fans recall the 2016 Macao Open, the chances are they will remember Lahiri’s effort more than that of the eventual champion. Explosive start The 2016-17 season of the PGA Tour could not have started on a better note.
Fans did not have to wait long to make some noise at the Safeway Open as promising Spaniard Jon Rahm holed his tee shot on the 173yard, par-3 11th hole. That came less than 45 minutes after the opening tee shot was hit at Silverado Resort & Spa course.
A little later in the day, Morgan Hoffman achieved something that happens only once in 99,853 shots on the PGA Tour – an albatross. On the par-5 18th, he holed his second shot from 251 yards. And before the day ended, Scott Piercy completed a 12-birdie round of 10-under par 60, which constituted the new course record at Silverado.
No wonder they keep saying these guys are good! Ko’s surprising decision World No1 Lydia Ko’s decision this week to fire her caddie Jason Hamilton has taken everyone by surprise. The duo had enjoyed a very solid relationship, but Ko has struggled lately.
She has just one top-five finish in her last five starts. She gave Hamilton the sack moments after finishing 51st in last week’s Hana Bank Championship. Ko hasn’t spoken on the issue, so we don’t know if there is something else behind this, but the general feeling is that she has taken a hasty decision.
