ANIRBAN LAHIRI WITH HIS 2015 HERO INDIAN OPEN SUCCESS.
Anirban Lahiri wins 2015 Hero Indian Open. (Photo – www.europeantour.com)
• His second European Tour International Schedule victory in his 41st European Tour event.
• Moves to 687,043 points in The Race to Dubai.
• Could move to just outside the 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking, from 39th.
• This is his second European Tour victory of the season, following the Maybank Malaysian Open.
• Becomes the second multiple winner of the 2015 season. They are: Branden Grace (Alfred Dunhill Championship and Commercial Bank Qatar Masters) and Anirban Lahiri (Maybank Malaysian Open and Hero Indian Open).
• Wins his second title in the space of three tournaments.
• Graduated from the 2014 European Tour Qualifying School. Is the first Qualifying School graduate to record multiple victories the year after graduation since Branden Grace in 2012, who won the Joburg Open and then the Volvo Golf Champions. (The South African went onto win a further twice in that season).
• Joins Gordon Brand Jnr (twice in 1982), José María Olazábal (twice in 1986), Johan Edfors (three times in 2006) and Branden Grace (four times in 2012), as Qualifying School graduates to record multiple victories the year after graduation.
• Is in his rookie season on The European Tour. Is the third Qualifying School rookie to win twice the year after graduation, following Gordon Brand Jnr (1982), José María Olazábal (1986).
• Follows Gordon Brand Jnr (1982), José María Olazábal (1986), Stephen Leaney (1998) and Sergio Garcia (1999), as rookies to record multiple victories. (Leaney was a Challenge Tour graduate and Garcia joined as an affiliate member).
• Becomes the second Indian to record multiple victories in the same European Tour season, following Jeev Milkha Singh in 2006 at the Volvo China Open (April 2006) and Volvo Masters.
OTHER FACTS
• Began the day seven shots behind S S P Chawrasia. Would become the sixth winner this season to triumph after making up a final round deficit. He won the Maybank Malaysian Open after making up five shots with 18 holes to play.
• Becomes the 11th Indian victory in European Tour history.
• The first time since 2008 that India have recorded multiple victories in the same European Tour season. In 2008, India won three times.
• Has won his first two European Tour titles on Asian soil. The first player to achieve this feat since Andrew Dodt, who won the 2010 Avantha Masters and 2015 True Thailand Classic presented by Black Mountain.
• The first Indian to win the Hero Indian Open since Chinnaswamy Muniyappa in 2009.
• Becomes just the eighth different Indian to win the Hero Indian Open since the event was first played in 1964.
• The fourth time he has won at event at the Delhi Golf Club in a play-off. The previous three were the 2011 Panasonic Open India, 2012 and 2013 SAIL –SBI Open.
• Becomes the 49th victory overall by a Qualifying School graduate the year after graduation.
• Gains his 15th win as a professional.
* Thanks to European Tour.
