New Delhi: Sports venues, a day before an event, buzz with activity and on Wednesday, the Delhi Golf Club embodied that norm. Shining news standees, polished signages, giant billboards, fresh coat of paint, and busier-than-usual volunteers — the Lodhi Course of the iconic club was all this and more as it geared up for the golfing spectacle that $4 million DP World India Championship promises to offer.
As the afternoon sun bathed the putting greens, a number of Indian pros made a beeline to finetune their short game, an aspect that'll be critical on a course that bares its traditional challenges.
"There's a bit of old-world charm to this course. While the courses around the world are getting longer and wider, this one still has narrow fairways and thick roughs. It's a bit like going back to the basics," said Shubhankar Sharma after a session with coach Jesse Grewal.
Deep Dive
How will the thick rough affect play at the DP World India Championship?
Why are golfers expected to use irons off the tee at Delhi Golf Club?
What could help Tommy Fleetwood defend his DP World India Championship title?
The sentiment was shared across the board, from six-time Major champion Rory McIlroy to defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, two of the DP World Tour event's biggest calling cards.
"Just as tight as I remember from last year," Rory said, having finished tied-26 last year. "It's definitely a different golf course than what we're used to playing. It doesn't offer you a lot of room off the tee. A lot of irons and strategic play with your tee shots. This year, I think the rough is a lot longer and thicker, so that's going to present a challenge. But if you're hitting irons off the tee you shouldn't really be in the rough, I'll be telling myself that."
The driver is likely to stay in the bag, with iron play taking precedence over power. However, Rory stressed on accuracy off the tee.
{{/usCountry}}The driver is likely to stay in the bag, with iron play taking precedence over power. However, Rory stressed on accuracy off the tee.
{{/usCountry}}"I still think the tee shots are very important. Sometimes when people talk about a second-shot golf course, it means that the tee shot is irrelevant, which is not the case around here. The rough is very long and if you find yourself out of position off the tee, you're going to have difficulties. Your scoring opportunities are from your second shots and your approach play, but you have to be playing those second shots from the fairway," the 37-year-old said.
For Fleetwood, the course brings back happy memories. The 35-year-old overcame a two-shot deficit on a hazy Sunday to win by two shots. His son Frankie ran on the 18th green in elation, bring to fruition a long-pending wish for the father-son duo. With his son and wife watching this time, Fleetwood will not be short of motivation.
"This tournament last year came at a time when I was playing amazing golf, probably some of the best of my career. When I do look back, I'm always going to be grateful for the moments I got with Frankie there on the 18th green," he said.
Fleetwood reckoned the course has only become trickier.
"The biggest difference is the rough, how thickly they've grown it and penal they've made it. Last year, I felt if you did miss fairways, as uncontrollable as the rough was and the way Bermuda grass plays, you could hit it towards the green and you had the option of trying to figure out where to miss. This year, if you hit it in the rough, you're just hacking it out.
"The general gist of the course stays the same. You have to hit fairways to be able to control your golf ball and be able to shoot a good score, but the rough has just made it a little bit more critical."
That said, among the international star cast, the Englishman appears to have the game best suited for the course. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he puts precision over power and plays the percentage well. Add his consistency to it.
Fleetwood’s win last year came after his breakthrough first PGA Tour title at the TOUR Championship, securing him the FedEx Cup. The win at DGC was followed by a second-place finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and T3 at the DP World Tour Championship.
This year, in 19 starts on the PGA Tour, Fleetwood missed the cut only once, had four top-five finishes and was in the top 10 eight times. On the DP World Tour, Fleetwood has made 10 starts, with two top-10s.
"My process remains the same irrespective of the results," he said.
"Everything I do, I try and look at what it takes to be one of the best players in the world and what the best players are doing. I do believe consistency of a certain level is very, very important. So, I try to be at a level that will place me in top-5 or top-10 consistently.
"We have access to so many statistics. We come back to the same courses a lot, so you do have a sense of what each course requires and how you've played before. There is a mental sharpness that's so important," Fleetwood said.