Sentosa: Asian Tour star Anirban Lahiri feels like a good week is coming on ahead of the PGA Championship which begins at Whistling Straits on Thursday.

The 28-year-old Indian, who currently leads the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, struggled at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last week, finishing tied 53rd, but believes he can bounce back strongly at the year’s final Major.

“The game is feeling good. Bad back spasms did me in last Thursday unfortunately and I also had a tough time figuring out the greens,” said Lahiri, who is a two-time winner this season.

“I’ll be looking for a good start at Whistling Straits. Building momentum will be a key for me. I feel like a good week is around the corner. Mentally I really feel good, so I’m hoping for a strong week.”

A top result will reinforce Lahiri’s current ninth position on the International Team rankings for the Presidents Cup to face the United States in Korea this October. With the top-10 players as of September 8 qualifying automatically, Lahiri hopes to become the first Indian golfer to feature in the biennial team competition.

The players below him, including 2013 Asian Tour number one Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, are separated by a hair’s breadth which makes this week’s PGA Championship a make-or-break week for the Indian, who was victorious twice in February and was tied fifth in Switzerland last month.

“It would be fantastic if I can make the team,” said Lahiri, who was part of Team Asia which forced a thrilling 10-10 draw with Europe at the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Malaysia last year and contributed two out of three points.

Kiradech, who is ranked 13th on the International team standing, is also hoping to put on a strong showing at Whistling Straits.

He is in buoyant mood after winning the inaugural Paul Lawrie Matchplay event in Scotland two weeks ago, beating Sweden’s Robert Karlsson in the final, for his second title of the season. Big-hitting Kiradech, 25, hopes to draw the attention of International team captain Nick Price with an impressive showing at the PGA Championship.

“I’m hoping to play well at the PGA Championship. Depending on the result, I might add a couple of other events before the cut-off date if I think I have a chance to break into the top-10,” said Kiradech, who contributed 1.5 points, including a singles win over Thomas Bjorn in the EurAsia Cup.

“The win in Scotland was great and it meant a lot to me. It showed again that Asian Tour players can win tournaments in Europe. I enjoyed playing in the matchplay which suits my style as I am an aggressive player. Driving is a strong part of my game and it felt good all week and I played well to win.”

The other Asian Tour members in the PGA Championship field include Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, Australian Cameron Smith and honorary members Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Y.E. Yang, who made history by becoming the first Asian to win a Major at the 2009 PGA Championship.