Lahiri powers Crushers into LIV Golf Andalucia lead with gutsy display

Anirban Lahiri powered his team, the Crushers into the lead and held third place one shot behind joint leader Dustin Johnson and Jason Kokrak of the US after the opening round of LIV Golf Andalucia on Friday.

The India star led or shared top spot on the individual leaderboard for much of the day before dropping into third place with a 3 under par 68 on a rough day on the Real Club course in Valderrama.

Lahiri made the most of a long break between events to turn up in Spain refreshed and the effects were evident as he played flawless golf till the last hole where he dropped his only shot of the day to fall one behind the two Americans.

Just how challenging conditions at the famed Valderrama course were was reflected in the fact that only 14 from a starting field of 48 players managed to break par on Friday.

Like many others, Lahiri was playing his first tournament round at Valderrama and said later the layout reminded him of a course back home in India.

“One of my favourite tracks in India is the Delhi Golf Club, which is probably even more brutal than this. That's not a slight on Valderrama. I think the challenge here is more 360 degrees, like every part of your game. 

“The Delhi Golf Club is probably more off the tee than anything else. But I love it when you have five-yard targets and you have really small windows and you have to focus and execute shots.

“I think it gets me excited, and I think I get in a good mental space, and I think that's kind of what happened today because I was out of position a few times, and I managed to get up-and-down. I just stayed calm. Very happy.”

At the top, Johnson and Kokrak, who had to set aside travel and luggage issues, fired 4 under 67s for the lead at one of Europe’s top courses. Cameron Smith of Australia, and Kevin Na and Talor Gooch of the US were tied for fourth on 2 under.
“It’s a frustrating golf course,” said Smith after his 2 under 69. “Feels like you can birdie every hole and you can bogey or double every hole. It's just a test of patience. You've got to stay patient out there and wait until you hit the fairways and just make the most of your opportunities.”

It was a rough start for the Australian with two birdies and three bogeys in the first five holes, but he recovered with four birdies over a six-hole stretch that included a lengthy, curling birdie putt on the par-4 ninth.

“It's one of those courses where you don't want to get on the back foot, and I found myself there pretty early on,” said the reigning Open Champion, who will defend his title in July at Royal Liverpool. “Managed to get through it, and yeah, put together a really solid round, especially through the middle bit there.”

Lahiri’s run for the Crushers also saw them take top spot on the team leaderboard on 4 under, one shot up on Smith team, the Rippers, and two up on third-placed Majesticks GC (2 under par).

Such was the challenge of coping with conditions at Valderrama that even one of the most successful golfers at the venue, Sergio Garcia of Spain, was happy to come away with a 1 under 70 on Friday. 

“It was a grind. I'm not going to lie,” said the Fireballs skipper, who has 14 top 10s in 15 previous starts and three wins at Valderrama. 

“Obviously, it was tough. The course was playing firm. It's probably the hardest wind that we play here, that Poniente wind coming from the west. … I'm happy about shooting under par in these conditions and without playing amazingly. It was a positive day.”

With wind speeds nearing 20 miles an hour and the postcard-sized greens running fast, even the leaders found it hard to cope.

“The course is really difficult,” said Johnson of the 4Aces who is searching for a second individual title of the season. “The wind obviously, especially for the first 15 holes, was blowing really hard. The greens definitely started to firm up towards the end of the round.

“No matter if the wind is blowing or not, this course plays tough just because you have to be precise on every single shot. That's why I think the golf course is so great, and it's a lot of fun to play.”

Even Kokrak, who was dogged with flight cancellations, missed flights and a late-arriving golf set, said it had been an interesting day on the par-71 course.

“Kind of a crazy situation,” he said later. “I left home striking it nice, playing well, and really pleased with the clubs I have in my bag. I was confident when I got my clubs as long as they weren't broken or bent.”

Team scores

1. Crushers GC (-4): Anirban Lahiri 68, Bryson DeChambeau 70, Paul Casey 71

2. Rippers GC (-3): Cameron Smith 69, Marc Leishman 70, Matt Jones 71

3. Majesticks GC (-2): Ian Poulter 70, Henrik Stenson 70, Laurie Canter 71

4. Torque GC (-1): Joaquin Niemann 70, Sebastián Muñoz 70, Mito Pereira 71

T5. 4Aces GC (E): Dustin Johnson 67, Patrick Reed 71, Peter Uihlein 75

T5: Smash GC (E): Jason Kokrak 67, Brooks Koepka 71, Chase Koepka 75

T7: RangeGoats GC (+1): Talor Gooch 69, Bubba Watson 72, Thomas Pieters 73

T7: Cleeks GC (+1): Richard Bland 70, Graeme McDowell 71, Bernd Wiesberger 73

T9: FireBalls GC (+2): Sergio Garcia 70, Abraham Ancer 72, Carlos Ortiz 73

T9: Stinger GC (+2): Dean Burmester 70, Charl Schwartzel 71, Louis Oosthuizen 74

T11: HyFlyers GC (+5): Cameron Tringale 71, Phil Mickelson 73, Brendan Steele 74

T11: Iron Heads GC (+5): Kevin Na 69, Danny Lee 72, Scott Vincent 77

Also Read: LIV Golf recruits line up for July’s Open at Royal Liverpool