How Anirban Lahiri tamed the Atlantic winds to stay afloat in Bermuda

The playing conditions at the Port Royal Golf Course, the venue for the PGA Tour’s Bermuda Championship, at the start of November were challenging to say the least.

Located adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, the winds blew at average speeds of 30kph at Port Royal, with several holes directly exposed to the winds.

It left much of the field scratching their heads – barely half the players who made the weekend cut broke par in the third round – but Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri thrived in those conditions.

After a first-round 68 and second-round 70, Lahiri carded six birdies in a third-round 69, with the winds reaching peak speeds on the penultimate day. The Indian golfer put his performance down to his experience of playing in different countries.

“I love playing in windy conditions and the advantage I have is I have played around Asia, Japan and a bit of Europe. Playing in places like Australia, which are extremely windy, helped,” Anirban Lahiri told the Olympic Channel.

“I believe I have worked hard to play in the winds. I remember preparing for almost 45 days ahead of the 2012 Open Championship, which was my first major. So, it is not a skill I have developed overnight, it is a result of hard graft over many years.”

Anirban Lahiri had carded 15 birdies after three rounds, the joint-most of the field. Yet, he felt like he had left a few shots on the course as missed putts eventually saw him finish tied-11th.

If he had ended a place ahead, the Indian golfer could have earned entry to the Houston Open, the event after Bermuda.

“When you want to fight for the win, you have to cut out the silly errors, but I did make them,” Lahiri rued. “You have to understand that mistakes will be made. When conditions are this extreme, you have to stay calm, and patient to take advantage because not many have played in such weather.

“I wish I had played better in Bermuda, but the mistakes meant that I was not close enough to be in contention on Sunday.”