I woke up early today to see a few holes at Whistling Straits and felt really proud when Anirban Lahiri was on the top of a leaderboard and the commentators at the PGA Championship mentioned that the world has woken up to this Indian... what an achievement!
This achievement of Anirban, finishing in the top five of a major against the best golfers in the world, will earn him the respect of all his peers. This is the first time an Indian golfer has finished in the top five of one of golf's four majors.
It would be foolish of me to compare his feat with any other sport. But in Indian golf, the baton has passed on from Jeev (Milkha Singh), Arjun (Atwal) and Jyoti (Randhawa) - who showed that Indians could win abroad - to an Indian who belongs among the best.
When I was asked to write this article, I tried to recollect Anirban's earlier years as a junior. He started playing well when he was around 17. Boys like Ajeetesh Sandhu and Gaganjeet Bhullar were then the real stars of junior golf. Anirban made a mark when he went to Malaysia in 2004 with Ajeetesh, Gaganjeet and Himmat Rai as part of the Indian team, and that was the first time India qualified for the World Championship. And it was Anirban who made his score count almost every day.
Thereafter, he had a stellar amateur career and was part of the Indian team that won the silver in Doha. What stands out is that every step he has taken in his career, he has excelled. He played his early years as a professional in the PGTI Tour and found success immediately. Thereafter, he moved to Asia where he has won seven times now with two European Tour wins this year.
I called Gaganjeet on my way home from work this evening and asked him what does this performance actually mean? Anirban has been playing in the US on the basis of his world ranking and to be able to get a status on a higher Tour on the basis of these results means he belongs among the best, he said. Simple.
This performance will improve Anirban's ranking to within the Top 30 and give him early starts on the PGA Tour by which he can get full playing privileges in the US. A gutsy move, as playing on the US Tour is the ultimate test and this obviously has been his goal.
In terms of earnings, Anirban's win was $367,500, plus a donation of $25,000 to the charity of his choice for the 2015 PGA Championship Long Drive Competition.
As a golfer, people talk of his length but putting is his strongest point. He makes a lot of clutch putts (a putt in a tense or critical situation). He's from an army background so he's seen the discipline around him and that helped him in his early years as a golfer. In his junior days, he had moved to Bangalore and honed his golfing skills alongside at Eagleton Golf Village.
A thorough gentleman, Anirban has never missed acknowledging an email from me and is a role model for junior golfers in the country. I saw the Facebook post he sent to Viraj Madappa acknowledging his victory in Taiwan and congratulating his coach Indrajit Bhalotia too. It shows his attachment to Indian golf. He plays mentor to fellow Bangalorean Chikkarangappa S., who is following in Anirban's footsteps.
One must not forget the contribution of Vijay Divecha, who is Anirban's long-time coach and has been with him since his junior days, honing his skill. I have had a few chats with Vijay and he always told me "we have a plan". I am sure he must be a very proud coach today.
What does this mean for sport in Bengal? Unfortunately, we have had very little to cheer about, and so after Sourav Ganguly becoming the captain of India and Leander Paes winning the Olympic bronze, this must be our biggest sporting achievement. Anirban is a proud Bengali and for a probashi he speaks our language well.
As a golfer, I am very proud of this achievement by an Indian. And as a Bengali I'm very proud as he has broken the stereotype that we Bengalis are not good in individual sports.
♦ Gaurav Ghosh is part of the Indian Golf Union council. He was on the junior selection committee when Anirban was selected to represent India for the World Juniors. Ghosh combines tee with tea as a general committee member of the Royal Calcutta Golf Club and a director at J. Thomas & Co.
