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Lahiri Looking To Grasp Dubai Opportunity With Both Hands
Asian Golf Monthly Team
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Anirban Lahiri is among six Indians in the field in Dubai this week.
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Dubai (February 1): Anirban Lahiri will showcase India’s rising power in the world of golf when he competes in this week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club.
Named as the ‘Player of the Year 2009’ by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) after winning the Order of Merit title, the 22-year-old prodigy from Bangalore has been handed a special invitation by golf in DUBAi — the promoters and organisers of the US$2.5 million European Tour event — in recognition of his consistent showing on the domestic and Asian Tours.
Hailed by India’s leading golfer, Jeev Milkha Singh, as 'one of the most exciting talents in the country', Lahiri topped the PGTI Order of Merit in the 2009 season.
Lahiri, part of the Indian team which won the silver medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, won two titles and had seven other top-10 finishes in 11 starts, as well as several top-10 finishes in Asia.
He is now hoping to make a strong impression on the European Tour when he joins a star-studded field led by five-time Open champion Tom Watson, European number one Lee Westwood and defending champion Rory McIlroy in Dubai.
“The Dubai Desert Classic occupies a pride of place on the European Tour and always attracts a world-class field. It has a great roll of honour that includes players like Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Freddie Couples and Seve Ballesteros. To get invited to a tournament of this stature is indeed a dream come true for me,” said Lahiri, who also featured in the UBS Hong Kong Open and Barclays Singapore Open in 2009.
“I am grateful to golf in DUBAi for their gesture. They are very well known in India, having promoted and organised the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters in 2008.
"Their invitation to me as the leading player on the PGTI Tour, in a way is a tribute to Indian golf,” added Lahiri, who will be the sixth Indian in the 132-man field apart from Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia.
“It was quite a hectic finish to 2009. Now I am rested and relaxed after a break of more than a month. I am hungry to go out there on the golf course and I hope that hunger helps me post some good numbers on the Majlis Course, which I have seen so many times on television,” said the Indian, who finished tied third in the Indian Open last year courtesy a brilliant final-round of eight-under par 64 on a tough day for scoring.
Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi, said: “Golf is among the fastest-growing sports in India and it’s encouraging to see young players come through the ranks and get their chance. Hopefully, some of these youngsters will get a decent crack at it.
“We are delighted to invite Anirban to Dubai and he thoroughly deserves an opportunity to play in big events. I am sure the presence of a strong Indian contingent led by Jeev, who is a great friend of 'golf in DUBAi', will add its own flavour to the competition.”
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