It has been nine years since Anirban Lahiri won his only Hero Indian Open crown. The 2015 season was a pivotal one in Lahiri's career, opening the door to bigger things. Almost 10 years later, “his hair has diminished,” he returned to the venue he had been visiting since he was 12 years old.
In the intervening years, he was a runner-up at The Players Championship in 2022, a two-time Olympian, considered quitting the sport and joined the independent LIV Golf. But his thirst for the National Open hasn't waned yet.
“It's my fifth major for the Indians, but I feel like it's getting harder and harder to get to the majors…so I'm happy to be playing this week,” he told the media ahead of Tuesday's game with a laugh. DP World Tour co-sanctioned event being held this week at DLF Golf & Country Club. But behind that self-deprecating statement is a desire to try again at the Olympics.
The conflict between LIV and the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) means Lahiri will not be able to earn ranking points by playing in the Saudi-funded series, potentially jeopardizing his chances of qualifying for Paris. be. He is currently ranked 401st in the official rankings, third among Indian players after Shubhankar Sharma (188th) and Gaganjeet Brar (248th).
“That's the reality. You can't dwell too much on what-ifs,” he said. “Still, I want to get on a plane to Paris.” That means a lot of factors need to come together. This week's strong performance is a good start, but there is still plenty of competition to climb up the standings. His participation in the Indian Open is the result of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations between LIV, Lahiri and Herro, but his future remains uncertain.
“There may be a situation where a lot of really good golfers can't come to Paris, and maybe that's what it takes for the world to wake up and say we need to do something. ” he said.
“But I'm not going to sit here and moan. I'm looking forward to having a good round of eight or 12 after the Indian Open. I'm going to find those events on the Asian Tour, but it's a lot. It depends on the variables.”
“All I can do is put together four good rounds this week. The Olympics are still unfinished business. Like any athlete, I have a long list of excuses for not playing well in the two Olympics. I have, but bygones are bygones. I don't think so.'' I don't regret my decision to join LIV. ”
The number of athletes competing in the Olympic stadium is limited to 60 men and women each. The International Golf Federation (IGF) used his OWGR to create Olympic rankings to determine eligibility. The top 15 will qualify, with a limit of 4 per country. Beyond the top 15, players can qualify based on their world rankings, with up to two eligible players selected from countries that do not already have at least two of their players in the top 15.
Lahiri believes his game is coming together well. He competed in two events in February and this month (Jeddah and Hong Kong), then missed the Asian Tour event in Macau.
“My performance so far at LIV has been sporadic, but overall I feel like I’ve played well. I haven’t had my best score. I’ve had another week off this week to prepare for this. Ta” “
There are many times when I miss out on a second place finish. He followed up his victory at the Indian Open with a runner-up finish at the same tournament in 2016. She was runner-up at the Memorial Tournament the following year and runner-up at The Players Championship in 2022 by one stroke to Australia's Cameron Smith. He moved to LIV but was winless, narrowly missing out on wins at Boston in 2022 and Adelaide, Bedminister and Chicago in 2023.
“I don't know how many times I've finished second. I need to get rid of that feeling. I want to win, I'm desperate to win, and I go back to the way I felt when I started my career.”I'm 15-16. I've been playing for 20 years now and I want to win this week just like I did 10-15 years ago. ”
