![\"anirban](\"images\/golf\/anirban%20lahiri%20-%20round%203%20leader.jpg\")
Taipei: India\u2019s Anirban Lahiri is counting on one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation to steer himself back onto the trail of glory when the US$600,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters tees off at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club on Thursday.<\/p>\n
A known Vipassna meditation follower, Lahiri will be looking to maintain a positive state of mind when he steps up to the tee at the richest Asian Tour event staged in Chinese Taipei.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe course is such a beast. The conditions are always tough and it\u2019s a mental challenge. I\u2019ll be looking to meditate a lot,\u201d said Lahiri, who finished tied-25th in last year\u2019s edition.<\/p>\n
Since winning his third Asian Tour title at the SAIL-SBI Open on home soil earlier this year, Lahiri has not been able to reproduce his winning form as injuries have hampered his progress and caused him to miss successive cuts in his last two events in Taipei and Japan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been tough for me after my knee injury last month and I\u2019ve not been able to play at my 100%. It can be frustrating at times but I\u2019m working through it and I\u2019m getting better and stronger,\u201d said the 26-year-old.<\/p>\n
The Indian, who is eighth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, remains hopeful of mounting a title charge this week to seal his place among the elite at two upcoming high profiles events following his campaign in Taipei.<\/p>\n
The Mercuries Taiwan Masters is the last event for players to fight for the 10 available spots on the Order of Merit for the US$7 million CIMB Classic in Malaysia and is also the penultimate event to qualify for the US$8.5 million WGC-HSBC Champions in China next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to increase my workload and practice and I\u2019m slowly getting there. With hard work and commitment, I\u2019m sure my efforts will eventually pay off,\u201d said Lahiri.<\/p>\n
Like Lahiri, Thailand\u2019s Arnond Vongvanij is also hoping to focus his mind and haul himself back into contention for his second Asian Tour title at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.<\/p>\n
Arnond started the year promisingly with a tied-10th finish at the season-opening event in Myanmar and almost added a second win when he came in second at the Queen\u2019s Cup at home in June.<\/p>\n
However, the 24-year-old Thai lost his way recently and missed three cuts in his last four events.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy game\u2019s good but sometimes my focus is just not there all the time and I don\u2019t know why,\u201d lamented Arnond.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I\u2019ve been trying too hard on the golf course and I get tensed up easily. It seems like I haven\u2019t got off to a good start this year yet. If I can get off to a good start, I feel I\u2019ll stand a good chance when the weekend comes around,\u201d added Arnond.<\/p>\n
The Mercuries Taiwan Masters has long been a mainstay on the Asian Tour Schedule and will welcome over 30 Tour champions and players from the region\u2019s premier Tour as they battle for the lucrative winner\u2019s prize purse of US$120,000.<\/p>\n
The local charge will be spearheaded by defending champion Tsai Chi-huang as well as other hopefuls including Lin Wen-tang, Chan Yih-shih and Lu Wei-chih who have a combined total of 11 Asian Tour titles.<\/p>\n
Other contenders for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters include the leading three players from the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Thailand\u2019s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, India\u2019s Gaganjeet Bhullar and Australia\u2019s Scott Hend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Taipei: India\u2019s Anirban Lahiri is counting on one of India’s most ancient techniques of meditation to steer himself back onto the trail of glory when the US$600,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters tees off at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club on Thursday. A known Vipassna meditation follower, Lahiri will be looking to maintain a positive state […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-latest"],"yoast_head":"\n