Golf
Golfer Anirban Lahiri finishes second in a thrilling final round at The Players Championship
Anirban Lahiri narrowly missed out on making history as Australia's Cameron Smith claimed a one-shot victory to take home The Players title and a purse of $3.6 million.
Anirban Lahiri (Source: Getty Images)
World No. 332 golfer Anirban Lahiri was on the verge of getting a life-changing victory at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, but missed out narrowly in the final round by just one-shot to World No. 10 Australian golfer Cameron Smith.
Lahiri finished his outing at the prestigious tournament which currently boasts of having the largest payout on the PGA Tour with a $2.1 million second-place cheque to take heart from after the close miss. Cameron Smith, on the other hand, walked away with a $3.6 million purse from this thrilling victory.
Anirban Lahiri reacts after missing a chip to force a playoff at the 2022 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (Source: Getty)
If anything, the 34-year-old Lahiri created ripples at The Players Championship and was the front-runner even in the weather-delayed final round and was on the brink of making history. Attempting to become only the second Indian golfer to win at the PGA Tour, Lahiri was a surprise package at The Players Championships, stumping the likes of Smith for a better part of the event.
However, the 28-year-old Cameron Smith managed to pull off a last-moment comeback when he stayed calm and carded a six-under 66 for a winning total of 13-under 275 to bag a second title this season on the tour, and his career's fifth overall.
Lahiri closed with a 69, while Briton Paul Casey returned a final round 69 as well to finish two shots back alone in third.
With plenty of weather disturbances occurring as torrential rain and wild winds raged during the opening rounds of the event at TPC Sawgrass, the golfers had to endure tough situations to end up on the podium and clinch that massive purse, in a rare Monday finish to a PGA Tour event.
By being the one to watch out for at the Players, Anirban Lahiri has shown the mettle he is made of as he got his career's biggest achievement yet with this runner-up finish at The Players.
Speaking to GolfWeek after the final round, Lahiri confessed, "I want to win. I've been here seven years. Haven't gotten over the line yet. That's definitely a monkey I want to get off my back," he said.
"This is a really positive week for me going forward," Lahiri mentioned, humbly summing up his outing on the greens while looking ahead to the rest of the year.
