Family boost for golfer Lahiri at The Open

Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri will reap the benefits of having the support of his entire family at the St. Andrews when The Open gets underway in a fortnight.

With family as the bedrock of his success, world No.47 Lahiri's trip to the Home of Golf will be made extra special at the world's oldest Major, scheduled for July 16-19.

"My entire family is going to be there and my coach is going to be there with me. This trip is going to be very special for me as both my mum and dad are going to be there for the first time together at a professional event and of course, my wife," the 28-year-old, who is playing at the Open de France here, said in a Asian Tour release on Friday.

Lahiri has been married to Ipsa Jamwal for slightly over a year and the seven-time winner on the Asian Tour has been full of praises for his wife, whom he credits for his success both on and off the golf course.

"She has been fantastic. It's great to have her by my side. The last couple of months have been fantastic. We recently celebrated a year of marriage and it's wonderful for me to have her especially for my trips to America because it's very different from the Asian Tour where I know everyone," said Lahiri.

Having a supportive wife who understands the demands of a professional golfer is key for Lahiri who has gone on a scorching run of form since he tied the knot with Ipsa last May.

The current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader has won four tournaments that included two victories in co-sanctioned events with the European Tour in Malaysia and India in the last 15 months.

Having missed the cut at The Open last year, Bengaluru-based Lahiri is determined to better his result from his 2012 debut where he finished tied 31st at Royal Lytham and St Annes and sank a magical hole-in-one during the third round.

Accompanied only by his father then, Lahiri now hopes to put up another memorable performance so that his entire family can witness his proud moments together this year.

"That was a very special week as we were travelling outside India for the first time together. I knew he had a great time then and just it's great that my entire family is going to be there this year. I'm super excited," said Lahiri.

Lahiri will be part of a strong Asian Tour contingent who will feature in The Open. Other headline acts from the region's premier Tour include Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee who is one of the most decorated players on the Asian Tour with three Order of Merit titles and 13 victories.

Apart from the duo, 2014 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion David Lipsky of the United States and Australia's Marcus Fraser and Scott Hend, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour and China's Liang Wen-chong will also compete at the year's third Major.