Anirban Lahiri is aware of the magnitude of his achievements, but not surprised by it. At the PGA Championship on Sunday, he went where no Indian golfer had gone before — a fifth-place finish in a Major.
In his eyes, though, that performance is not one giant leap but one of a steady series of steps he has been taking over the last two years.
The 28-year-old, who landed in Bengaluru late on Tuesday night, spoke to The Hindu the following afternoon.
The excerpts:
Do you see yourself as the flag-bearer for Indian golf?
It’s a great matter of pride that I can represent my country, especially at some of these events where I’m the only Indian playing. I carry that responsibility with me with great pride. I’m asked a lot of questions about golf in India; about India. It makes me very happy to answer such questions, and be a representative. I’m honoured that I can do that.
Going into the tournament, where did you want to finish?
I wanted to win the tournament. I don’t say that now because I finished fifth and if I said that I went in expecting myself to win, that would not be the truth either. I came in with a lot of confidence, because I played well at The Open, I had a top five in Switzerland (Omega European Masters) and I felt like I was in good form. I felt I could actually get up there and try and contend on the weekend. I’m happy I managed to do that. I can’t really say that I was expecting it but I definitely never thought that it wasn’t possible.
Does this change the way you look at yourself?
Not really. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who can compete in majors. I think it changes the way a lot of other people look at me. I’ve always been quite confident, but not over-confident. If I can play my best golf, I can be up there on a Sunday in a Major. I actually believe it.
What do you attribute your success in the last one year to?
It’s hard to put a finger on it. It’s been a build-up; it’s not something that’s happened overnight. When I won the Malaysian Open, I jumped to 37 in the world. A lot of surprised journalists asked me: ‘How did this happen overnight?’ I said, ‘The world rankings are such that you can’t go to 37 overnight. It’s based on a cumulative points average system.’ So if you look at my performances in the last two and half years, I’ve had almost 15 or 20 top 10s. Everybody looks at the meteoric rise. It’s not a meteoric rise. In my mind, it’s been a very gradual one.
What is your target now?
By the end of the year, if I can play well enough, I can break the top 20. That’s a realistic target. This performance is a matter of pride but my goal still remains to win a Major.
