Crans Montana: Asia’s rising star Anirban Lahiri of India believes he is ready to write a new chapter in his illustrious career when the Omega European Masters tees off on Thursday.
The two-time Asian Tour winner has been receiving rave reviews since his standout performance at the British Open last month where he finished tied-31st.
However he is not prepared to rest on his laurels and is determined to add another feather to his cap at the €2.1million showpiece which will once again be played at the picturesque Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.
“The British Open was a great confidence week as you get to play amongst the best and it helps to give yourself lots of self-belief. But having said and done that, I think it’s time for me to move on and start focusing and playing well again in the tournaments to come,” said Lahiri.
“As much as the British Open was a great week for me, I think I need to build on that now. I’m always trying my best out there and this week would be a good week to put in a great performance,” added the 25-year-old.
Lahiri has already enjoyed four top-10 finishes including his second Asian Tour win on home soil earlier in the year.
While he is lying in sixth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, the Indian knows how important the second half of the lucrative season will be in determining his final position on the rankings.
“It’s always the second half of the year that decides the fate for most of us. The guys who are looking at making the cut, the guys hoping to win the Order of Merit or getting into top-five or top-10,” said Lahiri.
“It’s a great time of the year to find form and play well. I’m just hoping I get off to a good start and gain some confidence at the beginning of the second half season and keep it going for the remaining half of the year,” added Lahiri.
Meanwhile Bangladesh’s Siddikur, who finished as the highest-ranked Asian in equal 18th place at the Omega European Masters last year, cannot wait to ignite his title ambitions again.
The 27-year-old has been a figure of consistency all season and has yet to miss a single cut. He came close to lifting his second Tour title at the Queen’s Cup in June and is hoping that his winning form will return this week.
“I’ve been playing well since the start of the season and I’m hoping that this will be my week,” said Siddikur.
“Coming back to a place where you’ve achieved so much is always nice and I know that if I continue to stay patient, I’ll be able to improve my result from last year,” added Siddikur who is the first Bangladeshi to win an Asian Tour title in Brunei in 2010.
Meanwhile Philippines’ Angelo Que believes that his break away from golf will pay off when he steps up to the tee on Thursday.
The three-time Asian Tour winner enjoyed his best finish of tied-seventh in 2009 and is hopeful that he can feature prominently on the leaderboard again.
“I’m hoping to reproduce that magic again when I finish tied-seventh in 2009. I want to have a fresh start coming into this week and I think I’ve done that so far. I didn’t think of golf for a week and I’m coming here, hoping to start hitting better again,” said Que.
“This is a good week for me to jump up the Order of Merit as there are only 30 of us here. I hope to have a good week so that I can take it easier and not worry so much following this,” added the Filipino, who is in 49th place on the rankings.
Other notable Asian Tour stars expected to mount a strong challenge at the Omega European Masters include 13-time Asian Tour winner Thaworn Wiratchant from Thailand, Korean-American rookie David Lipsky, and South Africa’s Jbe Kruger, who currently leads the Order of Merit.
They will come up against a stellar world-class field that includes Major champions Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland and Australian Greg Norman at the Omega European Masters which is the first event in Europe to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour since 2009.
By Indian Sports News Network
