India’s Lahiri looking for PGA Tour card before Presidents Cup

India’s Anirban Lahiri will be among two dozen of the best golfers in the world playing in the Presidents Cup in South Korea next month.

It will be quite a contrast from this week at River Run Country Club, where the 40th ranked golferis trying to earn a PGA Tour card in the second of four Web.com Tour Finals events.

Lahiri, who will join Jason Day, Adam Scott and other standouts on captain Nick Price’s International Team at the Presidents Cup Oct. 8-11, shot a 5-under-par 67 Saturday at the Small Business Connection Championship to put himself in position for a strong finish on Sunday. He’s at 7 under for the tournament and tied for 20th.

The top 25 money winners during the Web.com Tour’s regular season have already earned PGA Tour cards for next season. Lahiri, 28, is among the players vying for 25 additional 2016 PGA Tour cards based on combined results of the four-event Web.com Tour Finals.

Lahiri, who won two European Tour events this season, played in just a dozen tournaments on the PGA Tour. But his fifth-place finish at the PGA Championship earned him enough FedEx Cup points to qualify for the Web.com Finals.

Lahiri will miss the last Finals event because he will be traveling to the Presidents Cup. Having only three tournaments to earn enough money against competitors playing in all four creates a sense of urgency, Lahiri said.

“I think in my mind I’ve obviously set myself a mental target that I want to get to before I leave,” said Lahiri, who finished sixth last week in the first Finals event. “I know I’m in a good position, but you don’t know how things are going to turn out.”

Three who mattered

Brett Stegmaier: First- and second-round leader had three bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine to fall two shots off the lead.

Emiliano Grillo: Argentinian shot 4-under 68 to tie Eric Axley for the lead.

Kyle Stanley: His 65 tied for the low round of the day and left him just two shots out of the lead.

Observations

▪ Home-course advantage didn’t do much for Seamus Power. The native of Ireland, Huntersville resident and River Run member shot an even-par 72 and is at 1-under.

▪ Players and volunteers were served Chiquita bananas. Chiquita, which sponsored the tournament from 2010-2014, is moving its corporate headquarters from Charlotte after being bought by two Brazilian companies.

▪ In July, Tom Gillis lost in a playoff to the No. 2 golfer in the world, Jordan Spieth, at the John Deere Classic. Now, Gillis, 47, is fighting for his PGA Tour card. He shot a 65 and is at 9 under for the tournament.

Worth mentioning

▪ Charlotte resident Matthew Goggin is five shots off the lead after shooting 70.

▪ Gastonia native Harold Varner III also shot 70, leaving him tied for eighth place at 9 under.

▪ Twelve of the top 16 players heading into Sunday are trying to earn their PGA Tour cards.

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 8:39 PM with the headline "India’s Lahiri looking for PGA Tour card before Presidents Cup."