Anirban Lahiri withdrew from the Korn Ferry Tour Championship on Thursday afternoon, citing concern for his family’s safety in the face of Hurricane Dorian.
Lahiri, who resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., wrote on Twitter that he is returning home to help with evacuation procedures as the storm prepares to reach land this weekend.
The 32-year-old has made in 106 career appearances on the PGA Tour, including 23 starts this season. Although he finished well outside the FedEx Cup top 125, Lahiri regained status in the first two legs of the Korn Ferry Finals thanks to a T-7 at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship and a T-5 at the Albertsons Boise Open. While missing the KF Tour Championship at Victoria National in Newburgh, Ind. will hurt his priority ranking, he will still have a PGA Tour card for next season.
Hurricane Dorian strengthened to a Category 2 storm Thursday night. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is expected to intensify into a Category 3 by Friday, and could reach a Category 4—which includes catastrophic 140 mph winds—by the time it reaches the mainland of the United States. The National Weather Service added Dorian could bring a “triple-threat of dangers” to Florida, including a “life-threatening storm surge, devastating hurricane-force winds and heavy rains.”
If that forecast holds, it will be the strongest hurricane to strike Florida’s East Coast since Andrew in 1992, according to the Weather Service.
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