Anirban Lahiri hoping to end winless run on PGA Tour in coming season

New Jersey: He might have ensured a full PGA Tour card for the upcoming season but Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri says his winless run has become an “albatross around his neck” as he hopes to snap the streak with a title. Lahiri finished tied 46th at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday to earn the 121st spot on the FedEx Cup standings, which ensured his playing rights for the 2021-22 season, beginning in September. It will be his seventh year in the PGA tour and Lahiri said it is high time he gets a win under his belt. “… I need to win, it has been too long… I haven’t played my best but I still managed to keep myself here and give myself the opportunities,” Lahiri said during a pre-tournament virtual press conference ahead of the Northern Trust beginning on Thursday. “I really need to win, I really need to get that off my chest, it’s been like an albatross around my neck. I have been through so many ups and down; mentally, emotionally, being away from home, making it my home, a lot has happened. “I am in a good place with my game and everything else right now. So hopefully, this next season will be the season when I get my first win.” His exploits at Wyndham Championship also earned him an entry back into the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018. “I am thrilled, delighted. It has been a challenging year, had a few hurdles to jump over, I am happy that I find myself here. How far I go, reins are back in my hand, if I just play well, I can make it even better,” Lahiri said. The FedEx Cup playoffs is a series of three golf tournaments — The Northern Trust, BMW Championship and Tour Championship — which will determine the season champion. Lahiri said how he performs in the play-offs and where he finishes in the FedEx Cup standing will help him to plan his schedule better. “If I can get myself into BMW and Tour championships then I will play less in the Fall, but if I don’t go as deep as I want to go in the play-off, by which I mean, where you finish this season in terms of FedEx Cup ranking,” he said. “If I am inside the top 50-60 then I am going to get into all the invitational and all limited field events, then suddenly my schedule looks different. But say I finish 115 or 100 I am not guaranteed the other bonus events, so then my schedule changes again. “… So there are still a lot of permutations and combinations. But yes, I am still looking to play at least 5-6 events in the Fall. I would come out with a renewed sense of focus and obviously how things have been the last few years, you want to get off to a good start.” On his improved driving, Lahiri said: “Equipment change has made a huge difference… Some of my shortcomings were because of my contractual obligations which were inhibiting me. Also, I started working specifically on my fitness. “I also started working on my biomechanics with my trainer here, which made me more efficient. So I am doing most of the things, so over the next few weeks, months, my main challenge will be to get my strength and energy level up and kick on from there.” Lahiri was down with COVID-19 in April but he recovered to make it to his second Olympics at Tokyo before earning his PGA Tour card. “It took me two full months before I could go close to my normal strength. In June I started feeling better, but due to my schedule and category, I played a lot of events in June and July. It was one week off, one week on, so I could manage my energy levels well having come out of COVID,” he said. “But going into the last part of the season, obviously I had no choice, I had to take every opportunity. So I played for four weeks on the trot, before I left for Tokyo, which was hot and humid. It took a lot out of us. “These last 45 days, playing for four weeks, travelling, going to Japan and coming back, it has taken a lot out of me. I am close to 67 to 70 per cent, so for the last two weeks my focus has been about managing my energy and workload, so that I am still fresh.”