Anirban Lahiri finds himself in a promising position with a four-shot lead going into Sunday’s final round of the LIV Golf Andalucía at Real Club Valderrama.
Despite his commanding position, Lahiri knows that no lead is ever truly safe on this challenging course.
“It doesn’t really matter on this golf course,” remarked the Crushers GC veteran. “Every day you have to battle it out … [but] it is a difficult golf course to catch up.”
Lahiri’s remarkable performance in the second round, shooting a 5-under 66 with six birdies and no bogeys, has put him at 7 under for the tournament. Close behind is Iron Heads GC’s Danny Lee at 3 under.
The Crushers GC, led by captain Bryson DeChambeau, with Paul Casey also contributing, shot an impressive 11 under to top the team leaderboard at 7 under.
They hold a four-shot lead over the home favourite Fireballs GC, aiming for their third team trophy this year.
Lahiri’s Pursuit of a Personal Victory
While Lahiri has enjoyed team success with the Crushers, his last individual victory dates back to February 2015 at the Indian Open.
Since joining LIV Golf in 2022, he has come close several times, notably in his debut in Boston and in Chicago last year, finishing second to DeChambeau.
“The win would mean a lot,” said Lahiri, whose family arrived in town and will be cheering him on Sunday. “I’ve been chasing it for a while.”
The Real Club Valderrama proved slightly more forgiving in the second round, with a field stroke average of 71.963, nearly 2-1/2 strokes lower than the first round.
Nonetheless, only a third of the field broke par, with Lahiri and Ripper GC’s Marc Leishman sharing the low-round honours.
Other Contenders
Dean Burmester, the first-round leader, shot a 4-over 75 but remains in contention, tied for sixth.
Danny Lee managed to hold onto solo second with a 1-over 72, featuring a mix of birdies and bogeys.
“I can’t complain,” Lee noted. “It was a good grind today. It’s playing really tough. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Fireballs GC’s Eugenio Chacarra, despite a rocky start and a frustrating ruling on the fourth hole, battled back to shoot 72.
He is tied for third with Cleeks GC captain Martin Kaymer and Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton, the winner in Nashville at LIV Golf’s previous event.
“I didn’t have my best out there,” admitted the 24-year-old from Madrid. “But I think I hung in there.”
The Final Round
A total of 14 players are within seven shots of the lead, including notable names like U.S. Open champion DeChambeau and 2024 two-time senior major winner Richard Bland, both tied for sixth.
Spanish stars Sergio Garcia, captain of the Fireballs, and Jon Rahm, captain of Legion XIII, are part of a group at even par, which also includes Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann, the current points leader.
“I don’t think you ever should be comfortable on this golf course with any lead, to be honest,” Rahm remarked.
“It’s that difficult and it’s that precise, and when you’re chasing, you almost have the freedom to be aggressive because you have nothing to lose.”
As Lahiri approaches the final round, he reflects on his past experiences and close calls, hoping they will serve him well in securing victory.
“All these experiences help,” he said. “It helped me today, as well, because even when I was ahead, I wasn’t really thinking about it.
Just this golf course is perfect, actually, because you have no time to get ahead of yourself. Every shot is life-and-death almost.”
