Lahiri misses narrowly as Smith wins The Players Championship

Coming into the final round with a one-shot lead, Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri gave it his all but fell short by a stroke to end second at the USD 20 million PLAYERS Championship here. This was nonetheless an impressive return to form for the seasoned pro as he walked away with a career-best USD 2.18 million in earnings.

Lahiri (69) needed a birdie on the 18th hole, the 72nd of the tournament, to force a play-off with a charged-up Cameron Smith of Australia, who began the final round with four birdies in a row. Smith carded 66 and totalled 13-under, despite a nervous bogey on the 18th, while Lahiri ended at 12-under after a superb birdie on the iconic Island Green on 17th and a par on the 18th. “I want to win. I’ve been here seven years; haven’t gotten over the line yet. That’s definitely a monkey I want to get off my back. Today was as good an opportunity as any,” said a disappointed Lahiri, who was bidding to become the second Indian after Arjun Atwal to win on the PGA TOUR.

But the performance overall was a major boost to his confidence. “I’m just relieved. I’ve gone through two years of playing horrible. The last time I contended in a field this good was at Memorial maybe, five years ago, or even that was a back-door second. I shot 7-under on Sunday. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this position in a quality field like this,” he said.