Modest start for Anirban Lahiri at Farmers Insurance Open

By PTI

SAN DIEGO: Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri began with a modest one-under 71 on day one and needs a good second round to make the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open here.

Lahiri, playing his second event of 2022, had four birdies against three bogeys and was lying T-76th after the opening round.

Billy Horschel holds a one-stroke lead with a round of 9-under 63 as Michael Thompson (64), who had a bogey free round, lies second, while Stephan Jaeger and Kevin Tway shot 65.

Lahiri, starting from the first, bogeyed the first but got the shot back on ninth, and was even par till 11th.

Then came a roller-coaster ride with birdies on 12th and 13th followed by a bogey on 15th, birdie on 16th and a bogey on 17th.

Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Francesco Molinari and Doug Ghim are at T-5 at 66, while defending champion Patrick Reed sits at T-96th.

Of the 30 players that shot 67-or-better, only four did so on the South Course.

Chinese Taipei’s C.T. Pan reaped the rewards of watching old videos of himself as he putted his way to a solid 5-under 67 to lead Asia’s charge for more silverware on the PGA TOUR.

Asia’s top player on the day was Pan.

His impressive start included six birdies against a lone bogey which left him in tied ninth place.

A return to Torrey Pines brings back good vibes for Pan as he had finished tied second here in 2017.

Korea’s Sungjae Im, a two-time TOUR winner, carded a 70 while compatriot Si Woo Kim, Lahiri and Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu returned cards of 71s in the tournament which sees golfers playing one round each on the North Course and South Course at Torrey Pines, before playing the South Course for the final two rounds.

Hideki Matsuyama, who won the Sony Open in Hawaii two weeks ago, opened with a 72.