Anirban Lahiri Fires Impressive 63 as Caleb Surratt Takes Lead at PIF Saudi International

Anirban Lahiri shot an impressive 8-under 63 to rise to tied 12th at the PIF Saudi International. Caleb Surratt leads the tournament with a score of 14-under after carding a five-under-par round.

India's Anirban Lahiri delivered an impressive performance with an 8-under 63 in the second round of the PIF Saudi International golf tournament. This remarkable round propelled him to a tied 12th position on Thursday. Lahiri had started with an even-par round on Wednesday, and his stellar play on Thursday saw him climb 69 spots from his overnight tied-81st position.

Lahiri's round featured nine birdies, with six coming in the back nine, including a hat-trick from the 11th to the 13th hole. Despite a setback on the 14th hole, he quickly recovered by securing consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, finishing strong with another birdie on the 18th. His performance matched that of South African Dean Burmester, who also shot a 63 and was tied for sixth at 10 under.

American Star Leads

Meanwhile, American golfer Caleb Surratt took a one-shot lead into Friday's third round. He carded a five-under-par 66, placing him at 14-under overall. Belgian Thomas Pieters followed closely in second place. Surratt's performance was notable as he seeks redemption after losing in a sudden-death playoff to Chilean Joaquin Niemann last year.

Thomas Pieters of Belgium also impressed with a score of 66. American Anthony Kim made a strong comeback with a score of 64, moving into third place alongside England's Tyrrell Hatton and Spain's Josele Ballester, both scoring 65s.

Competitive Field

South African Dean Burmester and Poland's Adrian Meronk were tied for sixth place along with Korea's Seungbin Choi. Meronk had been the joint first-round leader with Surratt in this final event of The International Series, which is part of the Asian Tour calendar.

Lahiri expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating, "Did some practice today and readjusted my putter. Obviously today rolled it really good and hit my wedges a lot closer as well. So, yeah, was able to get some momentum. Was able to string some birdies together on the back nine. Felt nice to roll a few putts in and make a bunch of birdies coming in."

Lahiri acknowledged his struggles from the previous day but remained optimistic about his chances in the upcoming rounds. "I think yesterday I really struggled on the greens a little bit, struggled with my yardage control," he said. "I'm just happy with how I played today. I'm going to try and do my best the next two days. Obviously lots of birdies out there so you have to go low," he added.

The tournament continues to be fiercely competitive as players vie for top positions in this prestigious event. With strong performances from various golfers, the upcoming rounds promise more excitement and challenges for all participants.

With inputs from PTI