Anirban Lahiri retains PGA card for 2021-22

Geensboro: India’s Anirban Lahiri survived some tense moments on the final day to end the Wyndham Championship with an even par 70, which was enough to ensure a full PGA Tour card for the upcoming season.

Lahiri’s final Tied-46th placing earned him the 121st spot on the FedEx Cup standings, which ensured his playing rights for 2021-22 season, beginning in September.

It also earned him an entry back into the FedEx Cup Play-offs for the first time since 2018.
On a tense final day of the last tournament before the Play-offs, Lahiri started with bogey-bogey and was then in danger of falling on the wrong side of the line that separates Top-125 from the rest.

In the end, he played superbly with birdies on 17th and 18th and ended the final day at even par 70 and a total of 7-under for T-46th.

Kevin Kisner won a six-man play-off for the title as he birdied the second hole of the contest while others parred. The others were Kevin Na, Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim, Adam Scott and Roger Sloan. They were all tied at 15-under 265.

“It was nice to finish strong. The funny thing is of those three bogeys, every single one of them I was on the fairway,” Lahiri said.

“So I think the first six holes it was just going downhill and I had to kind of really gather myself and kind of centre myself and get back to doing what I’ve been doing well.”

The 34-year-old, who was relieved to retain his card, said he is getting closer to his “A game.”

“I’d be lying if I say I’m not relieved. I played the Korn Ferry Finals in 2019 after losing my card and then I had a horrendous season, I played awful. I feel like I’m getting closer to my A-game, which I know is good enough to compete with the big boys.

“It’s a relief that I can at least plan a schedule to some extent, I’m not waiting until Monday to see if I’m going to be first alternate or in and that’s been the case a number of times in these last two years,” he added.

Korea’s Kim came agonisingly close to a second victory of the season. Starting the day six off the lead, the 26-year-old fired a closing 6-under 64 at Sedgefield Country Club to join a six-way playoff.

The six Asians playing the FedEx Cup play-offs, which carry a top prize of USD 15 million, are Hideki Matsuyama of Japan (14th), Kim (30th), Korea’s Sungjae Im (31st), K.H. Lee of Korea (34th), C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei (118th) and Lahiri (121st).

The top 125 will tee up in The Northern Trust at Liberty National in New Jersey on Thursday, followed by the top 70 at the BMW Championship and the leading 30 at the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship which will crown the new FedExCup champion.