India's Lahiri, 22, closing in on first Asian Tour victory

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JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia -- India's rising star Anirban Lahiri, fresh from his best finish on the Asian Tour, will be out to prove that he has what it takes to etch his name into the winners' circle at the Iskandar Johor Open next week.

The promising Lahiri showed further signs of his impressive talent when he tied for third at the Hero Honda Indian Open last week, his best finish so far on Tour, and he is hoping to go two notches higher soon.

The 22-year-old will compete at the Royal Johor Country Club, and he will be determined to continue his impressive form at the $1 million Asian Tour tournament from Oct. 22 to 25.

Lahiri was introduced to the Royal and Ancient game at the age of eight, and he continued to develop his raw talent before opting to further his golf education at the age of 17 in Bangalore, India.

As an amateur, Lahiri played in almost every amateur tournament in India and swept to six victories before taking the plunge as a professional golfer in 2007. He was a member of the Indian national amateur team that won the silver medal at the Asian Games in Doha in 2006.

"You have your ups and downs in golf, and ironically, immediately after I turned pro, I played the worst golf I played in three years for about six months," said Lahiri.

"It was like a move from a well to the ocean, and you get exposed to the big sharks. Very often I found myself standing next to the tee, looking at them and questioned how I was going to beat them," he added.

Lahiri found the much needed confidence booster at the end of 2008 when he came in second at a tournament on the Indian Tour.

"We had a very strong field there with Jeev (Milkha Singh) and Jyoti (Randhawa) playing in that event. Unfortunately, I finished second alongside Jeev and one stroke behind Jyoti. From then on, I realized that if I play well, I can beat these guys," said Lahiri who has won once on Indian Tour.

Lahiri held true to his new-found confidence and continued to sparkle on the Asian Tour, where he has chalked up three top-10s and is currently 25th on the Order of Merit with $108,008 this season.

With the Asian Tour schedule coming to a close, Lahiri is confident that he will be able to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Gaganjeet Bhullar who won the Indonesia President Invitational in July.

"I know I can get out there and win, especially looking at what Gaganjeet has done. He's upped his level a good two or three notches, I know that I'm going to knock on that door. I've got to keep my own speed. I know I'm getting there," Lahiri said.

The Iskandar Johor Open, celebrating its third edition and offering a record prize fund this year, is sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Johor Golf Association and Malaysian Golf Association.

The main sponsor of the Iskandar Johor Open is the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA). It is also supported by platinum sponsor -- UEM Land Berhad, the master developer of Nusajaya, which is a key driver of Iskandar Malaysia. Other co-sponsors include Iskandar Waterfront Development and UM Land. Official partners are TaylorMade Adidas Golf, 100 Plus, Srixon, Winston Wine, Dewars, Ricoh and the Puteri Pacific Hotel.

News and updates on the tournament will be available on the official IJO Web site www.iskandarjohoropen.com.