April 19: India’s top golfer Anirban Lahiri was struck down by Covid-19 on the PGA Tour. He received his positive result on Saturday morning local time and has since gone into quarantine after the event in Hilton Head.
The 33-year-old ace golfer, aiming for a second successive Olympic appearance, was just beginning to show signs of return to form with a fifth place finish at the Valero Texas Open. He will now miss action for at least two weeks.
Lahiri’s recent Top-5 had catapulted him into the race for one of Olympic berths. Even though he will miss a tournament or two, he could be back for Wells Fargo in mid-April and then the Byron Nelson event. There are a few more events for him to make a bid for the Olympic spot.
Last week Lahiri missed the cut at RBC Heritage after a modest 71 in the first round and a listless 75 in the second. He was sitting out the week of Zurich Classic of New Orleans, to practice and work on his game. However, Lahiri will now miss practice and also next week’s Valspar Championship.
Lahiri, a very health conscious sportsman, also announced his results on social media, and hoped to be back on his feet soon.
Taking the unexpected blow on his chin, Lahiri tweeted, “Looks like the pandemic caught up with the Lahiri’s (sic). Tested positive Saturday morning, isolating and waiting it out. Stay safe everyone. #Covid19 #partoflife.”
He was also on Instagram saying, “The Vid strikes. Hopefully I can come out strong and get back to doing what I love the most. Stay safe everyone. This thing is real #Covid 19 #quarantine #fever.”
He also sent out a strong message by adding an emoji with a mask
Lahiri has been on the PGA Tour since 2016 though his last worldwide win came at the Hero Indian Open in 2015. He has however had numerous Top-5 and Top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour.
This has been a mixed season for Lahiri, who got to keep his playing rights on the world’s biggest Tour, the PGA Tour, as the 2020 season was hit by the pandemic and Lahiri was stuck in India.
Overall in the 2020-21 season, which began in mid-September 2020, Lahiri has played 13 events and made the cut in seven with fifth place at Valero Texas Open as his best. His other Top-10 was T-6 at the 2020 edition of Corales Punta Cana Resort and Club Championship.
