Sports News | Slow Start for Lahiri, Needs Strong Second Round to Make Cut at Safeway
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Anirban Lahiri ran into early trouble after starting from the back nine in the first round of the Safeway Open Championship, ending the opening day at two-over 74 to be Tied-128.
Napa (California), Sep 11 (PTI) Anirban Lahiri ran into early trouble after starting from the back nine in the first round of the Safeway Open Championship, ending the opening day at two-over 74 to be Tied-128.
Playing only his second event since March and the first in the last four weeks, Lahiri had two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey and will now need a low second round to stay on for the weekend.
Meanwhile, Scotsman, Russell Knox, who stays in the US, shot 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead in the first event of the new PGA TOUR 2020-21 season.
Lahiri hit nine 9 of the 18 greens in regulation. He got off to a superb start with a 33-foot birdie on 11th for his first birdie. But he messed up the next hole with a double on Par-4 13th where he reached the green in four and two-putted.
A five-foot par putt miss meant a bogey on par-4 14th. Dropping three shots in two holes derailed his progress, but he held on for the next few holes with pars before a trip into the native area on 18th meant another bogey. He turned in 3-over 39.
Playing catch-up on the second nine, he birdied the Par-5 fifth from seven feet and parred the rest. For a good part of the day he was not getting close enough to give himself birdie chances from around 10 feet or so.
On a course where Par-5 scoring is the key, Lahiri had just one birdie in four Par-5s.
Akshay Bhatia, an American of Indian origin, and just 18, shot 6-under 66, to be T-11. Bhatia's eight birdies included four on the four Par-5s and he dropped shots on two of the Par-3s. Left-hander Bhatia is being mentored by Phil Mickelson, who himself shot 1-under 71 and was T-81st.
Another American of Indian origin Sahith Theegala shot 1-under 71 and was T-81. Theegala turned pro in 2020, while Bhatia was just 17 when he turned pro in 2019.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)