Augusta campaign gives india ace Anirban Lahiri a Masters lesson
14 April 2015 11:07 PM GMT
Frustration writ large on his face, Anirban Lahiri walked off the 18th green with a ‘grin-and-bear’ demeanor on the fourth and final day of the 79th Masters. Calling it a ‘mixed bag’ he was armed with the satisfaction of having fought to make the cut at his Masters debut on Friday, but also felt disappointment at not being able to convert the bunch of opportunities he got on the final day and the one before.
“The hole looked like a dime and the ball and the cup seemed to be dodging each other all day. Two four footers for birdies and another three or four inside 10 feet is what I missed. I should not have shot worse than 68 on Monday,” he said. With a final card of even par 72, made up entirely of pars, Lahiri totalled 292 and finished tied 49th. Just for the record, he finished alongside Major winner, Jason Dufner, and ahead of other Majors winners like Darren Clarke (294), Graeme McDowell (294) and Vijay Singh (295). Bringing up the rear from among the 55 players who made the cut, Thongchai Jaidee, a three-time Asian Tour No. 1, was nine-over 297.
Lahiri did make a couple of good clutch putts like at the seventh (eight feet) or the 17th (10 feet) but those were for par saves. He just could not get a good putt in for a birdie. Yet Lahiri was staying positive. “I am with learning each round and that is what my biggest takeaway is going to be. Sure I would have loved to move up, score better, but if not, at least let me learn for future trips to Augusta.” He entertained thoughts of moving up a few places with a round in the 60s on Sunday. “I knew a score around in the 60s was possible and it would help me move up. I think I played in such a manner,” he said.
In terms of hitting off the tee and iron play, it was Lahiri’s best day of the week. He found 15 of the 18 greens and 11 of the 14 fairways. But he needed 34 putts on each of the last two days and that pushed him down. He candidly admitted, “That’s an area I need to work on. In India and Asia the greens are much slower and in India, there is also grain but here the speeds are so fast, though it was slightly slower than what it used to be in drier conditions.”
Spieth takes first major with historic Masters win
Jordan Spieth won a historic Masters triumph for the ages Sunday, the 21-year-old American deftly handling the final-round tension to hold off Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose and win his first major title by four shots. Writing an epic conclusion to a week of domination at Augusta National, Spieth fired a two-under par 70 to finish on 18-under 270, matching the 72-hole tournament record set by Tiger Woods in 1997. “This was arguably the greatest day of my life. It’s incredible. “It’s a dream come true,” Spieth said.
Spieth claimed the green jacket symbolic of Masters supremacy and the top prize of $1.8 million at the $10 million event by denying two of golf’s top major champions another crown. England’s Rose, the 2013 US Open winner and Spieth’s last-pair playing partner, shot 70 to share second on 274 with 44-year-old US left-hander Mickelson, a five-time major winner who shot 69.
“The hole looked like a dime and the ball and the cup seemed to be dodging each other all day. Two four footers for birdies and another three or four inside 10 feet is what I missed. I should not have shot worse than 68 on Monday,” he said. With a final card of even par 72, made up entirely of pars, Lahiri totalled 292 and finished tied 49th. Just for the record, he finished alongside Major winner, Jason Dufner, and ahead of other Majors winners like Darren Clarke (294), Graeme McDowell (294) and Vijay Singh (295). Bringing up the rear from among the 55 players who made the cut, Thongchai Jaidee, a three-time Asian Tour No. 1, was nine-over 297.
Lahiri did make a couple of good clutch putts like at the seventh (eight feet) or the 17th (10 feet) but those were for par saves. He just could not get a good putt in for a birdie. Yet Lahiri was staying positive. “I am with learning each round and that is what my biggest takeaway is going to be. Sure I would have loved to move up, score better, but if not, at least let me learn for future trips to Augusta.” He entertained thoughts of moving up a few places with a round in the 60s on Sunday. “I knew a score around in the 60s was possible and it would help me move up. I think I played in such a manner,” he said.
In terms of hitting off the tee and iron play, it was Lahiri’s best day of the week. He found 15 of the 18 greens and 11 of the 14 fairways. But he needed 34 putts on each of the last two days and that pushed him down. He candidly admitted, “That’s an area I need to work on. In India and Asia the greens are much slower and in India, there is also grain but here the speeds are so fast, though it was slightly slower than what it used to be in drier conditions.”
Spieth takes first major with historic Masters win
Jordan Spieth won a historic Masters triumph for the ages Sunday, the 21-year-old American deftly handling the final-round tension to hold off Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose and win his first major title by four shots. Writing an epic conclusion to a week of domination at Augusta National, Spieth fired a two-under par 70 to finish on 18-under 270, matching the 72-hole tournament record set by Tiger Woods in 1997. “This was arguably the greatest day of my life. It’s incredible. “It’s a dream come true,” Spieth said.
Spieth claimed the green jacket symbolic of Masters supremacy and the top prize of $1.8 million at the $10 million event by denying two of golf’s top major champions another crown. England’s Rose, the 2013 US Open winner and Spieth’s last-pair playing partner, shot 70 to share second on 274 with 44-year-old US left-hander Mickelson, a five-time major winner who shot 69.
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