Denied at the end

CIMB CLASSIC: Lahiri rues bogeys on final two holes but remains optimistic

TWO closing bogeys prevented Anirban Lahiri from a share of the lead after the CIMB Classic first round yesterday but the Indian golfer remains within shot of winning his first US PGA Tour title.

Lahiri, coming off a playoff defeat at the Macau Open last Sunday, bogeyed the eighth and ninth holes after starting his campaign on the back-nine at the TPC Kuala Lumpur

It left him in fifth place on sixunder 66, two shots off the pace set by defending champion Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley and Derek Fathauer, on a course where he won the 2015 Malaysian Open.

“I feel quite disappointed actually. You know, that front nine, I could have done a lot more and to finish the week like that is obviously a bitter taste in my mouth,” said Lahiri, who until then had a flawless round featuring eight birdies.

“But still a decent start. I would have liked to definitely be a couple shots better, if not three. But it’s one of those courses where you have to just keep making birdies and keep going low. We saw what happened last year. Good start.”

Lahiri had a run of six birdies in seven holes to make the turn in 30, recalling his effort in Macau on Sunday when he ended the final round with seven straight birdies.

“I definitely felt like (continuing from Macau) when I started out, but this is a different tournament,” said Lahiri, who is now into his second season on the US PGA Tour.

“This is a fresh start and all the scores are level when you tee it up on Thursday morning. You know, I’ve just got to take it one round at a time, whatever happens behind me, but obviously there’s a good, solid amount of confidence coming into this week and I just need to play with that for the rest of the event.”

Lahiri was the best performer among Asian golfers after 18 holes with Japanese duo Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Ishikawa and South Korean K. J. Choi tied for 16th on threeunder 69.

Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Scott Hend opened with a 74 after the Australian followed an opening birdie on the 10th with a doublebogey on the next hole and added three more birdies on his outward nine to make the turn in 40.

He finally got to grips with the course on the front nine, going birdie-birdie-bogey-eagle from the second hole, only to give a stroke back on the eighth.

Hend’s only consolation was that his main rival for the Order of Merit title, fellow Australian Marcus Fraser, was a stroke behind on 75.