JOIN USLahiri starts disastrously
Anirban Lahiri managed to get the hang of the tough TPC Sawgrass only on the back nine but by then he had already dropped enough shots to fall back in the first round of the USD 10 million Players Championship here on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Lahiri, winner of two co-sanctioned events this year, shot four-over 76 in the first round and will now need a great score on second day to make the cut, which is expected to fall at even-par.
Lahiri had a double bogey on the tough first, which saw even Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods bogey. Lahiri then tripled the fourth and by the end of the first nine, he was six-over. But birdies on 16th and 17th brought him back to four-over.
“I had a very rough start today. I opened with a double bogey. I got a few bad breaks and a couple of places where I put myself out of position today. That front nine with a double and a triple on the fourth meant I was five-over after four,” Lahiri said.
With two more bogeys on sixth and ninth and a birdie in between on par-3 eighth he was six-over for the front nine.
“I was happy with the back nine as I steadied myself. I calmed myself and stayed patient. I was happy with my back and that I managed to pull a couple of shots back. The course was playing tough in the wind. It was very demanding from tee to green,” he said.
Four players shared the lead at the end of the first round as Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Canadian David Hearn and Americans Kevin Na and Charley Hoffman shot 67 each.
Tiger Woods shot even-par 72 with five birdies, two bogeys and two double bogeys, one of which painfully came on the closing 18th after a chip-in birdie on 17th. Woods had birdies on 14th, 16th and 17th on back nine and earlier on fourth and ninth on front nine.
Rory McIlroy shot three-under 69, including an eagle on par-5 16th and had two birdies besides one bogey on the first.
Jordan Spieth, the Masters champion was in trouble with a 75 in the first round as the cut was expected to fall at even-par.