British Open: Anirban Lahiri gets a day off as high-speed winds play havoc

Anirban Lahiri

St Andrews (Scotland): A break of almost 48 hours after the first two rounds of a Major is a luxury seldom afforded to players. But Anirban Lahiri has got it and he is fully relishing despite the Monday finish for the 144th Open means a change in travel plans among other things.


Anirban Lahiri

It also means a free day with the family for a relaxed lunch and dinner and a walk around the town and near the beach. The last time the Open went into a Monday finish was 1988, when Seve Ballesteros emerged winner.

'Nice to get a rest'
Lahiri finished his second round on Friday afternoon and will not start his third round before Saturday afternoon. "It is nice to get a rest, though it also means a lot of changes in tickets and hotels," said Lahiri, who plays the Omega European Masters next week in Switzerland.

The R&A started play at 7 am, but 32 minutes later when the wind speeds went past 40 mph, they called back the players. By then the overnight leader, Dustin Johnson had dropped a shot and was now sharing the lead with Danny Willett, who had a rest day on Saturday. Play had not resumed till 5.30 pm BST (10 pm IST).

Four shots behind the leaders, the 28-year-old Lahiri, tied-15th, seemed to relish the position. "It is a nice place to be in. It is the best I have been at a Major and I am enjoying the event and I have been playing well," said Lahiri, who this year has won the Malaysian and Indian Opens.

"I'm happy with the fact that I got away with my bad shots and I missed it in the right spots, played intelligently, so even when I didn't hit my best golf shots, I put myself in a place where I could make par, and I'm happy about that. Lots of positives," he added.

As for the delay to Monday, he added, "A Monday finish is not new for me as a professional, but it certainly is new for me in a Major."