EURO Tour. Omega European Masters. Anirban Lahri Leads. September 05 2013
Anirban Lahri leads the
Omega Masters European Tour event in
Switzerland at the stunningly beautiful
Crans-sur-Sierre.
Anirban Lahri / Getty Images
Anirban, from India, shot an opening round -8 under par 63, to lead the
Omega European Masters by two strokes from a chasing pack of three players. He had to play through the pain barrier because he is still nursing a twisted knee, an injury he received after falling awkwardly four weeks ago. There is a sense of déjà vu here as
Anirban also held a share of the first round clubhouse lead last year, only to miss the cut when the weather turned on day two. He mentioned his knee and the missed cut last year;
" I’ve a history with my knee as I tore my ACL when I was 15 so it was tough. I didn’t hit balls for 15 days. Monday was probably my fourth round in a month. I came in with no expectations and just wanted to enjoy my golf and that’s probably what’s happening out there today. It was a tough pill to swallow last year but I’ve learnt a lot from that. The weather was so much colder and it was a big adjustment for me. It was a harsh lesson, but a lesson for life nevertheless.”
Tied in second place at -6 under par with rounds of 65 are the very experienced
Miguel Angel Jiménez, the still slowly improving Paul Casey, and recent winner Tommy Fleetwood.
Tommy missed the cut the week after his recent win at the
Johnnie Walker Championship at
Gleneagles, but feels better about himself now;
"I felt a lot better about my game from Monday onwards, it was a hard week. I wasn't prepared for how hectic it would be. It was my first win and hard to take and it was a big comedown but hopefully I'll be more prepared for my next win."
Miguel is making his 25th consecutive appearance in the event, and is also the 2010 winner. He was satisfied with his opening effort and also said he knows this course like the back of his hand;
" It is a very nice start, I played very well today. I can play this course with my eyes closed!”
Thomas Björn took the title out of
Miguel's grasp last year, and he is just one shot further back at -5 under par.