Lahiri rises to seventh on a breezy day at World Golf Champs

Anirban Lahiri made another upward move in the third round but was still left dissatisfied as he dropped two shots in last six holes, leaving him at five-under 211 and in tied seventh place at the World Golf Championships here.
On a rather breezy day Lahiri was cruising as one of the better scorers at three-under through 12 and reached as high as fourth yesterday. But a bogey on 13th and another dropped shot on 17th saw him drop to tied seventh, but still two places higher than T-9 after the second round.
Rory McIlroy carded a bogey-free round, his first in 2016, to move into a three-shot lead ahead of the final round at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. At12-under, he was three clear of Adam Scott (73) and Dustin Johnson (71).

Lahiri, winner of two European Tour titles in 2015, including his home open, the Hero Indian Open, which he defends in a fortnight's time, said, "Yeah, happy with the way I played today. (But) Obviously disappointed (too), left a few putts out there coming in. But all in all a good day. I think the course played its hardest today, so I'm happy with the way I played."
Lahiri added, "This is the third day in a row that we've had a different wind. So honestly, I have no idea what to expect tomorrow in terms of the conditions. Obviously the course is getting a lot firmer. I think at the end of the day, it's going to be about not making mistakes. If you don't drop a shot, there are plenty of opportunities for you to make birdie. I'm just hoping I can put a bogey-free round together (on Sunday)."

The Blue Monster golf course at Doral finally showed it teeth as the wind blew the hardest it has all week. Add to that tucked pin positions, and it meant only a third of the field of 63 left, broke par. Lahiri was one of them.

Talking about his current position, Lahiri said, "Like I said, I got it to 7 (under) and the last six holes, I didn't play my best. So I'm a little disappointed. Thought I could have pushed harder to get to 8 or 9. But obviously tomorrow, (I am) still giving myself an outside chance, so hopefully I can go out there and play my best."

In windy conditions, Lahiri did not drive as accurately as the first two days and neither did he find as many greens in regulation, but scrambled very well to stay under par.
Talking of his first time at the Quail Hollow, which will host the 2017 PGA Championships, Lahiri said,"I have been leading up to a good solid round even the scores have not been as consistent. The work we did, my coach Vijay (Divecha) and I did together (after the Masters) is helping and it is beginning to come together and its showing. I am still working on a few adjustments, so I am looking to build on it through the week."

As for the conditions and adjusting to them, he added,"I think the way the course was playing in morning, it was windy, raining and freezing, it was not going very far, but needed to keep chipping away."
Lahiri is currently ranked 55th in the world and is not in the field for next week's Players Championships, but he could get in by winning this week.
Still a good finish will ensure staying inside Top-60 to play the US Open next month.
Neither of the co-leaders Loupe and Wheatcroft have won on the Tour but shot 65 each. Wheatcroft, the shorter hitter of the two, had two eagles, holing out from 40 yards at the par-five fifth, and almost holing his second shot at the par-five 10th.

Loupe had four birdies in the stretch between fourth and ninth and he was five-under for front nine of the course and two-under for back nine. He had no bogeys.
McIlroy, Fowler and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, had a strange experience on the sixth hole when a member of the gallery threw a golf ball onto the tee. It had an earplug stuck to it. The police took away the spectator.