Lahiri loses his way with poor driving at the Open

Hoylake: Poor driving made India's Anirban Lahiri lose his way as he opened with a disappointing three-over-par 75 at The Open Championship on Thursday.

The current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader hit only 50% of fairways at Royal Liverpool as he failed to take advantage of near perfect conditions on the first day of the year's third Major championship.

He traded three birdies against four bogeys and one double bogey in what is his second Open start to put himself on the back foot heading into the second round on Friday.

“I struggled. Honestly, I was no where near where I should be with my game. It would have been nice if I could make a few more putts from inside 10 or 15 feet. It just didn’t fall for me today,” said the 27-year-old.

“It was ideal conditions and I have no excuses. I played pretty poorly especially on holes where there were lots of opportunities.The last four holes are easier holes and coming in, I think I got a bit frustrated that I didn’t make anything happen. It’s a great learning experience.”

After cutting short his honeymoon in Madagascar to prepare for the Open, Lahiri does not want to disappoint his fans back home and vowed to bounce back in the second round.

“Everyone is really excited. I had a great Open two years ago (where he finished tied 31st at Royal Lytham and St Annes) and everyone back home is cheering me on. Hopefully I can come out tomorrow and give them something to cheer about. I would like to play well for them,” said Lahiri, who has posted one victory and three top-10s on the Asian Tour this season.


“I have to play my best golf tomorrow. I know that. I missed a lot of shots to the right and didn’t find enough fairways. You can't make birdies if you're not on the fairways. The frustration got the better of me coming in and I’ve got to be careful with that.

“I’ve got to come out tomorrow with more confidence and more positivity. It was quite disappointing as the conditions were good. I just hit a few destructive shots and didn’t find enough fairways. Not what I was looking for obviously.”