‘Feeling much more confident’

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Anirban Lahiri

With a top-5 finish at his home course recently, two-time Asian Tour winner Anirban Lahiri feels that his “form is starting to come back” as he gears up for the $6.1 million CIMB Classic, beginning in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Lahiri, who had an inconsistent year before finishing tied fifth at the Hero Indian Open last week, now wants to extend the momentum in bigger assignments, including this week’s CIMB Classic where he gets a chance to play alongside stars like Tiger Woods.
“Last week was a huge confidence booster for me. I’m feeling much more upbeat, probably more than going into last week’s event,” Lahiri said.
Relishing the opportunity to rub shoulders with PGA Tour players, the Bengaluru golfer also felt that the Asian Tour players would have a good chance to win in Malaysia.
“I think it is a great event to play in and have the opportunity to play with the PGA Tour players. (Tiger) Woods is here as well and it is a chance to get more world ranking points,” said the 24-year-old.
“I had an opportunity to play with a lot of these guys at The Open Championship. This is another week that I can test myself against a quality field. It is all preparation to the lead-up at the end of the year.
“I think we have a great chance to win. We are used to the conditions here in Malaysia where it is really hot. I think it is something that works in our advantage. The golf course has typically Malaysian grasses that we are used to playing on. I think it is a great opportunity for us to go out and win.
“We are playing two balls so the chances of being paired with one player is lesser. You got to be realistic and shoot a really low score for four days. If we can earn a spot with Tiger then it will be great but you have to play good. He is not here to pass time,” he said.
Having played his practice rounds at the Mines Resort and Golf Club course, Lahiri predicted that the week would witness a flurry of birdies.
“I think it is a pretty simple course. You have to shoot a lot of birdies here. It is one of those courses where you can shoot six, seven, eight, nine or 10 if you are on a hot streak. It is going to be about making loads and loads of birdie this week.”