Anirban Lahiri ends strong at Sanderson Farms Championship golf

Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri recovered from an erratic third round to shoot a three-under 69 on Sunday and finish tied-37th at the Sanderson Farms Championship in the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi.

Lahiri, who made the cut on the back of a terrific opening round 66, had undone all the good work in the third round on Saturday as his poor putting meant that he carded a five-over 77. It equalled his worst round this year when he shot a similar score at the American Express in January.

However, the final round was a better effort from Lahiri. The Indian golfer shot three birdies - on the par-5 third and fifth holes and the par-4 eighth – on the front nine to recover some lost ground.

The 33-year-old Lahiri then began the back nine with another birdie on the par-3 10th and shot pars until the 18th. He two-putted for bogey on the final hole after a good chip from the rough to card an overall score of six-under.

“The mindset was to reset today. I had a small error in my putting setup yesterday (third round) that I fixed later on Saturday evening,” Lahiri told the PTI at the end of the day.

“The effort was to go really low but had too many putts today that did everything but go in. Sometimes they don't drop and this was one of those weeks. I have a nice window ahead of me to reflect and clean up on the areas that need work and come back out all guns blazing.”

The Indian golfer, however, missed out on a spot at next week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas as he needed a top-ten finish to gain entry.

Garcia wins title on final hole

Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia overcame Peter Malnati’s challenge to win the Sanderson Farms Championship with a birdie on the final hole.

It gave Garcia his 11th title on the PGA Tour in what was his first start at the Sanderson Farms Championship and earned him title wins in three different decades (2000s, 2010s, and 2020s).

Garcia shared the joint lead going into Sunday and was soon facing pressure from Malnati, who shot a career-best 63 in the final round in pursuit of his second Sanderson Farms title after 2015.

The Spanish golfer, in contrast, scored two bogeys on the front nine. However, Garcia was in his element on the back nine, carding an eagle on the par-5 14th and ended with a birdie to take victory.

Afterwards, Garcia dedicated his victory to the families who have lost loved ones during the covid-19 pandemic, revealing that two of his father's brothers had passed away after contracting the virus.