Lahiri finishes runner-up in Liv Golf at New Jersey, Smith wins

Bedminster (New Jersey), Aug 14 (PTI) India’s Anirban Lahiri earned a big paycheque with a second-place finish at LIV Golf Bedminster, firing an aggregate of 5-under at the event.

Lahiri, the only Indian playing in the Liv Series, shot rounds of 74-64-70, totalling 5-under and finishing behind Australia’s Cameron Smith (66-67-68), who aggregated 12-under.

Smith’s team Rippers also won the team title while Lahiri’s side, led by Bryson DeChambeau, was second.

It was the third runner-up finish for Lahiri on the LIV Golf Tour. He was second at the Boston Invitational in 2022 and again finished runners-up in Adelaide.

He earned $2.25 million for his second place but it also included $375,000 as his share of the prize money in the team event.

Smith won $4 million for his title triumph.

This was the second runners-up finish for Lahiri this season. He has had four more top-20 finishes and is currently 15th in the Player standings.

Lahiri, starting from the first tee, dropped a shot on the second. He birdied the third, only to drop another shot on the sixth. He picked back-to-back bridies on the 15th and 16th for a 70 that gave him a total of 5-under, which was seven behind the winner.

Lahiri had shot 7-under 64 on the second day, which had catapulted him into contention.

Abraham Ancer dropped a late bogey on the first hole — his 16th hole — and slipped to third place at a total of 4-under with a final round of 69.

Last month in London, Smith won the individual title but his team, Rippers GC, came up one stroke short of forcing a playoff.

Smith’s individual winning margin is the largest in LIV Golf history, bettering the six-stroke victory by Bryson DeChambeau last week at Greenbrier. It also moved Smith into first place in the Individual Champion points standings.

With two regular-season events left, Smith now has a 21-point lead over three-time winner Talor Gooch as he seeks the season-long title.

Besides Smith’s 68, the key contribution for the Rippers on Sunday came from the 23-year-old Morgan, who bounced back from a second-round 78 to shoot 5-under 66.

The winning team of Rippers included Cameron Smith, Jediah Morgan, Matt Jones and Marc Leishman.

The Crushers comprised Bryson DeChambeau, Anirban Lahiri, Charles Howell III and Paul Casey.