Indiaâs Anirban Lahiri was disillusioned after stumbling to a disappointing five-over-par 76 in the third round of The Open on Saturday.
The reigning Asian Tour number one struggled on the greens on yet another blustery day at Royal Troon, needing 32 putts which included three putting on three occasions as he fell off the pace in the yearâs third Major.
A double bogey on the second hole set the tone for Lahiriâs difficult day. A birdie on four was the Indianâs only respite as he dropped three straight bogeys from the 10th hole before missing a short par attempt at the last.
âYou never want to go out on a Saturday and shoot a big number,â said Lahiri, who now stands at four-over-par 217 and well out of contention.
âI guess Iâve got to work on my putting. I didnât hit it that bad, conditions werenât easy but itâs just that I left so many shots out there on the greens. Iâm very disappointed.â
Lahiri is determined to pick himself up on Sunday and finish strongly. He knows he must regain his confidence with the flat stick, which he conceded has been a bane all season.
âIâm very proud of myself. I donât think I need to feel bad. Iâm going through a phase where Iâm not making any putts,â said the 29-year-old.
âItâs been the case the whole year. My ball striking stats have been great and Iâve hit it the best today that I hit it all week. When you donât see a four-footer going into the hole, itâs tough. I shot five over and I three putted three times and missed a two footer on the last hole.
âWhen conditions are like this, itâs difficult to keep it in play, itâs difficult to get it on the greens and Iâve done all the difficult parts. Itâs getting the ball into the hole which seems to escape me right now.
âItâs frustrating to a point where I have to find it somewhere,â added the Indian, who is making his fourth appearance in the worldâs oldest Major.
Koreaâs Byeonghun An also shot a 76 to drop to three-over for the tournament while countryman K.T. Kim shot a 77 to lie on five-over.