TEXAS
Anirban Lahiri, India’s only regular on the PGA Tour, shot rounds of 71-69-69-69 (10-under 278) to finish solo-fifth at the US$ 7.7mn Valero Texas Open from April 1-4.
Lahiri’s stellar week helped him add US$ 315,700 (₹2.3 crores) to his earnings and 9.12 Official World ranking points to move to 319th in the world from 478th earlier to become the second-best ranked Indian on the list.
Pune’s Udayan Mane is still the man in front at 287th. However, with no announcement of further tournaments on the domestic tour, players like Anirban, Shubhankar and Gaganjeet who are competing overseas, look to have an advantage in the race to the Tokyo Olympics.
The top-5 Indians as of now are –
| Player | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Udayan Mane | 287th |
| Anirban Lahiri | 319th |
| Gaganjeet Bhullar | 325th |
| Chikkarangappa S | 327th |
| Karandeep Kochhar | 335th |
Anirban’s top-5 finish in Texas also ensured that he moved inside Top-100 on the FedExCup Standings from 125th to 94th with 315 points; a total of 375 points by the end of the season will make sure he stays inside the Top-125 and get full playing rights for 2022.