Golfer Udayan Mane officially qualifies for Tokyo Olympics, joins Lahiri
Udayan Mane has officially booked himself a maiden Olympic berth, becoming the second Indian male golfer after Anirban Lahiri to be Tokyo-bound for the mega-event starting July 23. The 30-year-old Mane, currently the second-highest ranked Indian in the world at 356, was all set to make the cut after Argentina's Emiliano Grillo announced his withdrawal from the quadrennial event on June 24. Here's more.
The announcement came after Olympic golf ranking list came out
The official announcement was made Tuesday with Mane finding himself at the 60th spot in the Olympic golf ranking list made available on the International Golf Federation's website. "With a great 2020-21 season on the PGTI (Professional Golf Tour of India), I felt...I had almost sealed my qualification for the Olympics but the lockdown in India...put some doubts in my mind," Mane said.
Mane excited to join Lahiri in the Indian team
Mane—who qualified on the basis of being the first reserve against Grillo's name—along with Lahiri will make up a two-member Indian men's team in the 60-player field which will tee off at Kasumigaseki Country Club on July 29. "I'm looking forward to joining Anirban...at Tokyo. He's not only a good friend but also a great golfer and a role model," said the Chennai-born golfer.
Previously, Lahiri qualified for the Tokyo Games
Two weeks back, PGA Tour regular Lahiri, the highest-ranked Indian golfer at 340, had become the first Indian male golfer to qualify for Tokyo following some withdrawals from the list of qualified players. Lahiri will be appearing at his second consecutive Olympics as he had also represented India at the Rio Games along with SSP Chawrasia.
Mane won Delhi-NCR Open in March 2021
Mane is an 11-time winner on the PGTI and is one of only two players to have won three consecutive events on the tour. He achieved the feat between December 2019 and February 2020 when he won the TATA Steel Tour Championship 2019, Golconda Masters 2020, and TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship 2020. Mane also won PGTI's last event, Delhi-NCR Open, in March 2021.
Olympics men's golf event to begin on July 29
In 2014, Mane represented India at the Incheon Asian Games and the Eisenhower Trophy in Japan and hoped his experience will help him in Tokyo. Meanwhile, among women, Diksha Dagar was the fifth reserve and couldn't join Aditi Ashik in Tokyo. The men will compete from July 29-August 1, while the women's competition is scheduled from August 4-7 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.
