Confident Lahiri has high expectations

Dubai : The first thing that strikes you about golfer Anirban Lahiri is the immense confidence he has in his abilities, one that has seen him emerge as the Player of the Year 2009 in India and get the coveted invite to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Many would consider that an achievement in itself, but not Lahiri.

Talking to XPRESS from Bangalore, he said: "I think I'm a good enough player to see myself among the last few groups on Sunday."

Brave words those, considering the last few groups could very well have Tom Watson, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy among others. But Lahiri is unfazed. "I don't like to limit myself to goals like making the cut at the Desert Classic or such like. It's a great opportunity for me and I want to make the most of it," he said.

Lahiri finished 24th in the Asian Order of Merit, besides several other top 10 finishes on the Asian Tour, but said his goals were different this year. "I want to test myself on the European PGA Tour next year and so I will play in a lot of joint-sanctioned tournaments this year. My goal is to take part in the Dubai Desert Classic next year as a qualifier and not as an invitee," he said.

The 22-year-old, though, didn't want to get too far ahead of himself. "This is my first trip to Dubai and my first tournament of the year, so I want to enjoy myself besides playing good golf. I have been watching this tournament on TV since I was a kid and have seen Tiger Woods and Ernie Els play on this course. It's a privilege to be part of this event and I am very excited," he said.

Lahiri will be one among the six Indians here with the others being Jeev Milkha Singh, who considers Lahiri one of the most exciting talents in the country, Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Shiv Kapur and his best pal SSP Chowrasia.

"It will be like home away from home with so many Indian players in the fray. In fact, I will be putting up with SSP in Dubai during my stay here," he said.

Rising curve

Lahiri was part of the Indian team which won silver at the Doha Asian Games in 2006.

He won his first two tournaments on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) in 2009, besides notching up seven top-10 finishes in 11 starts.

He finished 2009 as the top money-earner in India.