Lahiri 77th, Lowry in lead

New Delhi, April 19 

Returning to action after a gap of three weeks, Anirban Lahiri was unable to build on a superb start, finishing with a 1-over 72 on a blustery morning to lie 77th after the first round of the RBC Heritage.

Lahiri began well when he sank a 20-footer for a birdie on the first hole. The Indian then hit good second and third shots on the par-5 second to get within 27 inches of the cup for a tap-in birdie, getting to 2-under in two. Thereafter, his play was patchy as he hit only eight of the 18 greens in regulation. On the par-5 fifth, he hit his tee shot into the fairway bunker, following it by getting into another fairway bunker. He hit his fourth shot to the green and two-putted for a bogey.

Lahiri went into the water on 7th, and after a drop, he hit to eight feet for a bogey, thus wiping out both his early birdies. On the eighth hole, Lahiri went to the right rough but got to eight feet with his third shot but missed the par putt. He turned in 1-over.

On the back nine, he had three birdies and on two occasions he gave back those gains on the very next hole. A third bogey on the 17th was followed by a birdie on the 18th. Lahiri had some success with long putts, including a nearly 40-footer on the 18th after a 23-foot birdie on the 14th. But he missed a 7-footber on the 15th and an 8-footer on the 17th. 

Lowry 6-under 65

At the top, Shane Lowry fired a 6-under 65 to take the lead, while Ryan Palmer, Luke List, Daniel Berger, Trey Mullinax, and Ryan Moore are all tied for second at 5-under. Rory Sabbatini, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Scott Piercy, Kevin Na, Peter Malnati, and Alex Noren are tied-7th at 4-under. The second afternoon is expected to be a huge challenge due to expectations of winds of 20-30 mph and severe thunderstorms. — PTI