Anirban Lahiri, who became the first Indian to qualify for the Presidents Cup earlier this week, has once again shown that when it comes to making career decisions, he is his own man. And because he is doing such a good job of it, it will be extremely interesting to find out how his next move turns out.
– UAE: Nomura Cup coming to the Emirates for the first time
– Deutsche Bank: Fowler silences critics with latest victory
– MENA Tour: Els Club and Muscat join Tour schedule
The relentless pursuit of a PGA Tour card, one which slipped through his fingers with a last-hole bogey at the PGA Championship, has taken the 27-year-old to the Web.com Finals.
Had Lahiri not made that bogey, he would have finished tied fourth instead of tied fifth, earning $72,500 more, enough to finish inside the top-125 of the Money List of this season’s PGA Tour and hence secure his card for 2015-16. He is now trying to finish in the top-25 on the money list from these four Web.com Tour events, another route to a PGA Tour card.
With the PGA Tour doing away with the Qualifying School, the Web.com Tour is the only way to get in now. The leading 25 players at the end of the Regular Season graduate, and then there is the Finals.
The Finals start this week with the Hotel Fitness Championship and concludes with the Tour Championship on October 1-4. It is a bit of a circuitous route for Lahiri, but it also shows how much he aspires to be a part of the Tour which has the world’s best golfers playing week-in and week-out.
Lahiri, now 40th in the world, is the highest ranked player in the field. Given his ranking, he is assured of playing all the majors and World Golf Championship events next season, and will also get a few invites from regular tournaments, but he wants to make sure he ties up his membership now rather than wait for another year.
And yet, there are a couple of pitfalls he has to be wary of. Because he is in the Presidents Cup, he is taking a week off before that, which means he will miss the Web.com Tour Championship. So, Lahiri will have to make enough money in the first three events to ensure he is in the top-25 in the end.
There is a chance he could be around the 20th position after three tournaments, which would be utterly frustrating. But pulling out of the biennial team event is not an option. It’s just too fantastic an opportunity to let go.
Proud to be the first Indian “International”. Can’t wait to get to Korea! #WakeMeUpWhenSeptemberEnds @PresidentsCup #GoInternationals
— Anirban Lahiri (@anirbangolf) September 9, 2015
The other thing he will have to think about is his position in the Race to Dubai. He is currently placed eighth and a lock to play the Final Series and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, but by missing a couple of big-money events, like the $5 million Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the £3 million British Masters, he will fall back and could miss out on the substantial Bonus Pool on offer for the top-15 players.
Of course, there is only one way to make sure there is no need for any permutation and combination – play well and let things fall in their own place. And that’s exactly what Lahiri has in his mind as he embarks on another arduous journey.
The No 1 merry go round
The state of flux at the top of the men’s ranking is just adding to the interest and intrigue of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. As it happens, Rory McIlroy lost his hold on the crown after just one week, despite Jordan Spieth missing his second successive cut.
However, with no event scheduled for this week, Spieth will lose enough points from his previous two years to hand the No1 spot back to McIlroy next Monday. And with just 1.04 average points separating the top three players, Jason Day could become the No1 if he wins the BMW Championship.
But once the Tour Championship is over, McIlroy will have the advantage over the other two as he plays more big money events as part of the European Tour’s Final Series.
Russian grit
Last week at the M2M Russian Open, 28-year-old Andrey Pavlov made history by becoming the first Russian to make the cut at a European Tour event.
History made! Today Andrey Pavlov became the first Russian golfer to make a European Tour cut. Congratulations sir. pic.twitter.com/hTFrnjM6by
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 4, 2015
Golf is slowly gaining ground in the former communist country, but what makes Pavlov’s achievement creditable is that he is the same person who became a subject of ridicule the world over with his Tin Cup moment earlier this year at the Austrian Open, when he carded a 17 on a single hole.
Such a public disaster would have broken the confidence of many, but the Russian deserves to be applauded for the way he handled infamy and bounced back in style.
Tweet of the Week
Started #DeutscheBankChampionship week off by taking a selfie with @RickieFowler. The price of selfies just went up. Congrats on the W.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) September 7, 2015
Started #DeutscheBankChampionship week off by taking a selfie with @RickieFowler. The price of selfies just went up. Congrats on the W. – Tiger Woods tweeted after Fowler went on to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Quote of the Week
“They thought I had a heart attack. But I only smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, not three, so I’ll be alright.” – John Daly, after he got back from the hospital following a scary episode when he collapsed on the golf course with lungs issues. Some people never learn.
