Lahiri finishes tied-26th, Wise winner in Dallas

Dallas (US), May 21

An eagle and a couple of birdies in the last three holes helped Anirban Lahiri score a 4-under 67 in the final round and finish tied-26th at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championships here.

Lahiri, who is working hard to find his form back, shot a 67 for a total of 10-under to equal his best finish in 2018. Lahiri carded 68, 67, 72 and 67 in the low-scoring event, which was won by 21-year-old Aaron Wise.

‘Big step forward’

A relieved Lahiri said it was a big step in the right direction. “I feel like I took a big step forward in the right direction this week,” the 30-year-old said.

“However, I still need to tighten up my game off the tee and with the putter of course. I could definitely have been 8-10 shots better with 70 percent efficiency from 5-10 feet. That’s the only factor coming in between my being in contention I feel.”

Wearing a smile after a long time, he added, “It felt really good to finish strongly. Haven’t walked off the course with a smile in a while and that felt good. It is time to build on this momentum going into the next couple of weeks. The courses — Colonial and Muirfield — are both which I enjoy playing on, so I am looking forward to that.”

The Fort Worth Invitational at the Colonial Country Club at Fort Worth, Texas, will start on Thursday, followed by the Memorial tournament at the Muirfield Village Golf Club at Dublin, Ohio, next week.

Wise beyond his years

South African-born American Wise became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in more than a year when he clinched a three-shot victory on Sunday. The 21-year-old, playing with poise beyond his years in only his 26th start on tour, eased away from Marc Leishman and carded a closing 6-under 65 to take his maiden title.

“I was super calm. I was more nervous yesterday oddly enough,” Wise said in a greenside interview at Trinity Forest. Two weeks after finishing equal second in Charlotte, Wise started the final round tied with Leishman but notched six birdies in a seven-hole stretch from the fourth in front of a gallery including former US president George W Bush. He was never challenged thereafter and finished at 23-under 261, well clear of Australian Leishman, whose final-round 68 was only good enough for second place at 20-under.

PGA Tour rookie Wise, who moved with his parents to the US at the age of three, had an outstanding amateur career and won the American collegiate championship in 2016 before turning pro. He said his runner-up finish in Charlotte had boosted his self-belief and helped him deal with the pressure down the stretch on Sunday. — Agencies