Anirban Lahiri was feeling good about his game, riding high after tying for second at the Memorial Tournament earlier this month in Ohio

Yet in the hours after the Memorial, Lahiri found himself on the outside of the U.S. Openfield. His wife, Ipsa, wondered aloud if Lahiri could slide into the top 60 point leaders in the Official World Golf Rankings, which would secure a spot in the Open.

And after shooting a 3-over-par 73 in the first round of the Travelers Championship Thursday, Lahiri climbed into contention with a 7-under 63 Friday. His round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 13th hole, leading to birdies on three of the next four holes.

"You just feel positive," Lahiri said. "Then you start seeing the ball go in the hole. So I think that's what kick-started it. I got a couple of lucky breaks. Didn't hit a lot of bad shots. Didn't put myself out of position where I was likely to drop a shot, and I think that helps. Even if I didn't make all those birdies and kept a clean sheet you come in three, four, five, and that's still a good score."

Lahiri said he has a history of being hard on himself, so is focused extracting positive threads from his round — regardless of the score. Lahiri, who turns 30 next week, has seven wins on the Asian Tour, two titles on the European Tour, and won 11 tournaments in his native India.

He began meditating in India in 2004 and has continually taken breaks from the golf circuit to recharge.

"If you're in a better place mentally overall, it will translate into everything," Lahiri said. "Whether it's work or sport or home or relationships, whatever it is. I mean, if you're a happy person, or if you're in a place where you're at peace, it translates into everything. So I'm probably feeling the same as I was feeling when I shot 73 [Thursday], mentally."

Lahiri is playing the Travelers for the first time and his choice of a meditation center was purely coincidental, landing him within driving distance of Cromwell.

"You go to the center for 10 days, you switch your phones off," Lahiri said. "There is no TV, you're not allowed to read. You're meditating. You're not allowed to talk. So there is like complete silence for nine and a half days or so, and you're meditating 10, 12 hours a day.

"It's not just a walk in the park. You're actually doing work, and working on improving yourself. That's something that I find very healing for me, and a lot of people who have gone there benefited from it. It's not something I do specifically for my golf, but it's something that's helped me."

Lahiri's long-term goal is a spot in the British Open. He has five top 25 finishes this season and has been rising in the Official World Golf Rankings, beginning this week at 66 after finishing last year at 75.

After Friday, he is feeling good about his game as he continues to familiarize himself with TPC River Highlands.

"I'm confident on the greens, and you need that," Lahiri said. "If you want to keep a clean sheet or make a bunch of birdies, you need that. So hopefully I can keep that going over the weekend and keep that momentum."

Article credits: The Hartford Courant