Lahiri ready for King`s Cup challenge

Khon Kaen: Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri will hope to put behind his lacklustre performance at

the Singapore Open and inch closer to securing his Asian tour card when he tees off at the King`s Cup golf tournament in Thailand on Thursday. Currently at the 65th position, Lahiri, who missed the cut at the Singapore Open early this month, will also hope to boost his rankings in the Order of Merit and secure his 2011 Asian Tour card at the USD 300,000 event. Lahiri will be up against the likes of Thai star Thaworn Wiratchant, a 12-time Asian Tour champion, Englishman Nick Redfern, Angelo Que of the Philippines, Anthony Kang of the United States and Malaysian Iain Steel. The other Indian vying for the title at the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club will be Himmat Rai, who pushed K J Choi of Korea all the way in the final round of the Iskandar Johor Open before settling for tied third place last year. The 23-year-old Rai is confident of making amends and hitting a purple patch after struggling to make an impact during his previous outing here. "You do look at the merit list as it shows where you are but I do not believe that`s where my game is. At the end of last year, I got a new psychologist and a new coach where we have been working on a new system on swinging the club more consistently and I`m happy with the direction of my game," Rai, who is placed 107th on the Order of Merit, said. With four more tournaments to go before the end of the 2010 Asian Tour season, many players are rallying to secure their Tour cards for next season. Asian Tour veteran Zaw Moe, 43, of Myanmar, who struggled with injuries and serious ailments in the past years, is delighted with his new found desire to succeed on the Asian Tour. "I won`t lie, I didn`t put in as much effort as I did previously but this year I feel different. I`m beginning to feel the eagerness to compete again and to put in all my effort to perform again," said Moe, who has won once on the Asian Tour. Redfern, who claimed his best finish on the Asian Tour last year, believes he has what it takes to spark another title charge in the tournament. "This is a significant tournament to be held at the end of the year for players such as myself who are trying to retain their Tour card. The result here could have a big impact on the Order of Merit and I hope to do well here again," the Englishman said. PTI