No entries in US this year, Anirban Lahiri to train in India in December

CHENNAI: If a tied 11th finish on the PGA Tour is encouraging, what disappoints Anirban Lahiri is the reality that unless invited, he can't play more events this year.

Despite decent returns in four outings in the 2020-2021 season which started in September, the lone Indian qualified to play on the biggest golf circuit doesn't have enough points to gain more entries.

In order to utilise this time, Lahiri is expected to come to India in December to train under personal coach Vijay Divecha in Ahmedabad. 

Divecha, who has in the past travelled to the US to work with Lahiri, isn't making foreign trips at the moment because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Lahiri was in Ahmedabad for six weeks in June-July to work on his game.

That seems to be paying dividends, considering Lahiri's performance after returning to action. 

Due to the restriction on tournament entries caused by his indifferent run in the 2019-20 season, he has so far been able to play four of the eight events held in the new season. After tied 36th, tied sixth, tied 37th, he finished tied 11th at Bermuda Championship which ended on Sunday. 

Despite playing his best round of four-under, he could not break into the top 10.

"Happy with the consistency this week. I made too many small errors on and around the greens that added up to hurt me enough. Disappointed not to finish in the top 10. The game is getting more rounded every passing week. The biggest challenge and disappointment is not being able to play events. As of now, I'm not in any of the remaining events on the schedule (for this year). I may try to qualify for RSM Classic (November 19-22)," he said.

Starting the final round four shots behind the leader, Lahiri had birdies on the second, fourth and seventh holes, but dropped a bogey on the ninth. He hit another birdie on the 15th, only to drop a shot on the next. Birdies on the last two failed to lift him inside the top 10.

Having benefited immensely from his previous Ahmedabad stint, Lahiri has decided to come back for more of it instead of biding his time in the US. 

"Not sure about the duration, but I think he will be here for two-three weeks. He has been playing well after returning to the US (from a long stay in India). There is always room for improvement and that's what we will look at," said Divecha, who runs an academy in the Kalhaan Blues & Greens Golf Club in Ahmedabad.