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Lahiri seeks a reset after ‘frustrating’ 2024

ByShantanu Srivastava
Jan 24, 2025 10:38 AM IST

Anirban Lahiri reflects on a disappointing LIV tour season despite four top-10 finishes, training for the upcoming International Series in India.

New Delhi: Anirban Lahiri likes setting his own standards. Which means that despite four top-10s on the LIV tour in 2024 and retaining his card for next season, the Indian golfer is neither happy nor satisfied.

Anirban Lahiri during Round Two of the International Series Qatar at the Doha Golf Club in November 2024. (Asian Tour)
Anirban Lahiri during Round Two of the International Series Qatar at the Doha Golf Club in November 2024. (Asian Tour)

“It’s been a disappointing season for me. I set high standards for myself and I measure myself in terms of consistency. I don’t think I could meet any of my goals last year,” he said.

On Lahiri’s wishlist were recording a maiden win on the LIV tour and making it to the Majors. He narrowly missed out on both.

While Lahiri lost out on an outing at The Open after going down in a three-way playoff with Mexico’s Abraham Ancer and Sweden’s Charlie Lindh, he was denied a win at LIV Golf Andalucia when he incredibly missed a two-foot par putt on the last hole. In the playoff that ensued, Lahiri and 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia made par on the first hole before Garcia won with par on the second playoff hole.

“It’s been heartbreaking and frustrating at times. I think 2024 was full of bad memories, but I don’t think I played bad golf. There were a lot of moments that I didn’t take advantage of,” he said.

To work himself back in form, Lahiri landed in Ahmedabad about 10 days back to train under his long-time coach Vijay Divecha. He also had sessions with his Israel-Romanian performance coach Nimrod Brockman to strengthen the mental side of his game. All of this, Lahiri hopes, will come to fruition when he lines up at the International Series that debuts in India next week.

With over 15 LIV tour stars and a host of Indian stalwarts set to play, Lahiri is hoping that familiarity will pay dividends. It won’t be easy for, in addition to worrying about his swing, he will also be playing a super host to his golf buddies, overseeing logistical requirements and organising cultural experiences for the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Joaquin Niemann.

“It’s not a vacation,” he insists, “but golfers all over the world are excited to come to India. So far, India was just an exotic, mystical location for them but now they are looking at us a golf destination. That’s a very significant change.”

And Lahiri has been at the forefront of this mental shift. Cajoling the galaxy of international golfers was not easy. From the infamous Delhi belly to reservations surrounding the foggy conditions that are likely to prevail during the competition to managing prospective players’ off-seasons, Lahiri had to deal with numerous curveballs, but eventually, the temptation to explore Indian culture and high-quality golf on a challenging DLF Golf and Country Club was too tough to resist.

“It was damn tough, to begin with. The conversations began about six months back with DLF following which I went about convincing the players. I don’t think I have done a great job of it, because if I had, we would have another 25 internationals coming here considering the amount of people I spoke to,” he says. Still, for a country with precious little international golf coming its way, International Series’ foray marks a watershed moment.

Lahiri believes India is on the cusp of “something big.” “This could open the floodgates. I feel we can get such events more frequently to India. One of my aims is to get a LIV event in India, and if not that, at least get top LIV golfers to play in India. That will do wonders to our youngsters,” he said.

The last time DLF course saw an Indian winner was back in 2017 when SSP Chawrasia chipped and putted his way to the Hero Indian Open title, and Lahiri believes a top-five finish for an Indian is not improbable.

“I am sure there will be a few of us who will surprise a lot of people. I expect myself to be contending and competing on Sunday afternoon,” he said.

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Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
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