Indian golfer Anirban lahiri rode a roller-coaster before finally making the cut on his first appearance at the Masters here on Saturday. The 27-year-old current Asia number one, who shot one-under 71 on the first day seemed to be sitting pretty before the day began but soon ran into trouble. Anirban became the second Indian after Jeev Milkha Singh (in 2007 and 2008) to make the cut at the Masters.
Through the rest of the day, lahiri kept getting into problems by dropping shots and then extricated himself with some sublime shots to end the day at three-over 75 that gave him a 36-hole total of two-over 146 and got him a tee time for weekend action.
He was right on the line as 55 players made the cut, which fell at two-over. Also making the cut with lahiri were Noh Seung Yul (70-74) in tied 27th and Thongchai Jaidee (75-70) tied at 33rd.
Admitting it was a tough day for him, lahiri said, “Yeah, it was. I got off to a terrible start, 3 and 4 and then followed that up with 6. I did not execute my plans at all. Obviously I was not able to focus as well as I would have liked. I think that also kind of happened because I got wrong footed with a few bogeys early on.”
“I think I fought back well, but I just hit so many loose shots today. It was disappointing to drop so many shots today. But I’m happy that I managed to make it through to the weekend,” her added. lahiri had three bogeys in first six holes, followed by a birdie on par-5 eighth. The back nine was a rough roller coaster ride. A bogey on 11th hole with a three-putt was followed by a stunning eagle off a 25-footer putt on 13th. But on the very next hole, he gave it away with a double bogey that was a three-putt.
On the par-3 16th, where he birdied in first round, he hit into the bunker on the left and came out to leave himself a seven-footer for par and he missed it. He was back at two-over and on the knife-edge.
lahiri did not make it easy himself on 17th as he went into the second but came out with a low punch through the branches and trees and onto green as the ball escaped all obstacles presented by the tree. He got his Par.
Needing a par on 18th, he hit a 3-wood instead of driver and found the fairway. He pulled it off yet again to come within two feet of the pin and holed it for par and moved into the weekend. The relief was all over his face
.Spieth takes big lead
At the Masters, those famous, hand-operated scoreboards are all over the course. It’s kind of hard to miss them. Jordan Spieth will do his best.
Spieth heads to the third round with a 14-under 130 - the lowest 36-hole score in the tournament’s history — and a commanding five-stroke lead that matches the biggest edge at this point in the tournament.
Herman Keiser in 1946, Jack Nicklaus in 1975 and Raymond Floyd in 1976 went to the weekend with the same five-shot advantage. All went on to capture the green jacket, which bodes well for Spieth.
Some things to watch for in the third round of the Masters:
HOFFMAN’S STAYING POWER
There’s a lot of big names on the leader board, including major champions Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els. Hoffman looks out of place.
Until now, the 38-year-old was known largely for his flowing, bleached mullet, which always made him easy to spot on the course. He cut his hair but attracted plenty of notice for the way he played the first two days, shooting 67 and 68 to earn a spot with Spieth in the final group Saturday.
IMPROVING TIGER
Four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods was largely overlooked as Spieth raced out to a commanding lead, but there were plenty of encouraging signs as he posted a round of 69. After taking two months off to work on his game and get healthy, Woods made four birdies and only one bogey to keep easily alive his streak of never missing a Masters cut as a professional. He even flashed some confidence, insisting he still had a chance even though he was a daunting 12 shots off the lead.
GRAND SlAMMED
Rory McIlroy finally looked like a player on the cusp of the career Grand Slam with a 5-under 31 on the back side on Friday. Unfortunately for him, that mainly ensured he got to play on the weekend. like Woods, McIlroy is a dozen shots off the lead after pair of 71s.