Mexico Open: Anirban Lahiri lifts his game on final day to end T-15

By PTI

PUERTO VALLARTA: Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri carded a bogey-free 5-under 67 on the final day to finish T-15 at the Mexico Open. He finished 20 places higher than where he was after three rounds. With his third Top-15 finish in last four starts, Lahiri has begun to move in the right direction and his game has been showing a good upward trend.

Lahiri was second at the Players Championship and T-13 at Texas Open. Jon Rahm picked his first win since the 2021 US Open, which was 10 months ago, as he shot 2-under 69 and totalled 17-under. Lahiri started with five pars, two of which could have been birdies from 11 and 10 feet.

Finally a birdie came his way on the sixth when he almost chipped in for an eagle from 87 feet. He tapped in for a birdie from four inches. On the very next hole, he again missed a six-footer for birdie and came out with just a par.

So, in first seven holes, he had one birdie and two other near-birdies and one near chip-in. He got his second birdie on ninth and turned in 2-under. On the back nine, he continued to give himself great chances and converted three of them, though it could have been more.

He did a big putt from 35 feet for a birdie on Par-4 15th. Lahiri moves up three places to 55th on the FedExCup standings but stays 85th on the World Rankings.

PTI Rahm’s relief at his first win since the US Open last year at Torrey Pines was evident that he celebrated after the par on the 18th at Vidanta Vallarta. The World No. 2 started the week with 64 and stayed in contention through the rest of the tournament and duly completed a satisfying win after beginning the final day with a two-shot lead.

Rahm led by one after his lone bogey of the round on the tough par-4 10th. Wu’s 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole helped him join Rahm at 16-under and then Kitayama, playing in the final group with Rahm, got up-and-down on the par-5 12th to get into a share of the lead.

Then Finau was birdie-eagle-birdie from 13th to 15th to get into the frame. Rahm was 12 feet from a birdie on 12th and he made a superb putt for a birdie to break out of the tie and it proved to be a winning putt. Rahm, who has at least one win each year for the last six, now has 14 worldwide wins.