JOIN USAnirban Lahiri moved to 37th place in world golf rankings following his win at the co-sanctioned Maybank Malaysian Open.
Lahiri, who finished at 64th at the end of 2014, started the week at 73rd. He jumped 36 places with his latest win.
Lahiri’s 37th position is the second best ever by an Indian after Jeev Milkha Singh, who was in the top-30 back in March 2009.
The 27-year-old Bengaluru golfer is now looking forward to Hero Indian Open, scheduled from February 19-22. “Winning big events is always a goal, and for us Indian golfers, winning the Hero Indian Open means a lot because it is our national open. In the last few years I have come close to it, and was tied second last time around, so I would like to set that record straight,” said Lahiri.
“The Hero Indian Open will be held on a course I have come to love. My first three wins on Asian Tour came at this course and I have learnt how to handle this course, which till a few years ago had intimidated me.”
Lahiri has already qualified for the British Open following his result in Thailand Golf Championships late last year and on current form, he should also get into PGA Championships. If he stays inside top-50 till the week before the Augusta Masters, he will also get an invite for the year’s first Major and a top-50 should also get him into the US Open.
Hemisphere from today
Meanwhile, Hemisphere PGTI Masters, the second event of the 2015 PGTI season, will serve as a tune up for Indian Open when it tees off at the Noida Golf Course from February 10-13.
The tournament carries a total prize purse of Rs. 30 lakh.
The field feature some of the top Indian professionals such as Shankar Das, S Chikkarangappa, Himmat Singh Rai, Om Prakash Chouhan, Shamim Khan and Chiragh Kumar to name a few.
The top foreign players in the field are Sri Lankans N Thangaraja and Anura Rohana.