Contrasting performance by Lahiri and Chawrasia in Olympic Golf

Rio de Janeiro:  Indian golf’s  poster boy Anirban Lahiri failed to capitalize on the depleted field  and  opened his campaign, in the sport  which is making debut in the mega  Games with  3 over 74  in the opening round of  Olympic Golf.   Another Indian in the fray, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia carded par score of 71, to be  clubbed  at  tied-27th in the 60-strong field.   Anirban, had a poor start, shooting 3-over 74 to finish the first round tied 50th, while Bangladesh's Siddikur Rahman shot 4-over 75.   Australian Marcus Fraser,  with a sizzling  8-under 63 led the field while  Canadian Graham DeLaet and 2016 Open Championship winner Henrik Stenson of Sweden, shared the second place  with identical  5-under 66.   Kolkata  based Chawrasia  opened  his front nine well, shooting birdies on  2nd and e 5th, and that  enable him to  hog  the  spot light for a  brief  period  as he figured  among the  top 10 of the leader board for some time.   However, a bogey each on the par-four 7th and the par-five 10th  dented his round as if that was enough, he gain lost  shots on the 12th and the 13th, though he did card a birdie each on 10th and  18th.   Lahiri, who had teed off earlier than Chawrasia alongside Bubba Watson of USA and Germany's Martin Kaymer, had a tough time over the first 12 holes, shooting five bogeys over them.   (The writer is a senior sports journalist)