DP WORLD INDIA CHAMPIONSHIP

October 16, 2025

Ben Griffin

Delhi GC

Quick Quotes

Q. Fantastic first round, 4-under par. Rory was just saying to us that perhaps it played a little harder under tournament environment than it did in practice rounds. Do you feel similar, or given your scoring perhaps not?

BEN GRIFFIN: It's funny, every golfer is different. Some people play better when they're casually at home or in practice rounds. I feel like I'm the worst golfer when it comes to me playing at home or playing practice rounds or play pro-ams. I rarely shoot under par in pro-ams. I think when I get into tournament mode I kind of lock in a little bit more with target and everything like that.

I'd say my strategy was pretty similar to the practice rounds. I think some guys tend to maybe lay back. I just kept hitting the 3-wood pretty good and putting it out there, so a hole like No. 9 a lot of guys are hitting iron on that tee, I put 3-wood down there and was able to have a short iron in and made birdie.

I think it depends on the holes, but certainly in tournament conditions this is a very challenging golf course. You think about your strategy a little bit more than maybe if you're playing more casually. You might hit driver on a few holes if you're playing here for fun, and in a tournament it's not necessarily worth it. I think if you were to look at the stats, it makes sense to just keep it in the fairway, hit irons and have a lot of mid-irons into the greens. I feel like all of us did a pretty good job of that today, and we were all able to shoot under par in our group.

Q. Obviously playing in India for the first time, different grasses, different grains, reacting different ways. What are the takeaways from your first round that you'll put into play for tomorrow?

BEN GRIFFIN: Yeah, the conditions are tough. The rough is really challenging. If you put it in the rough, it's really hard to not only get it to the green but land it on and keep it on the green. Rory there on No. 9 was in the first cut and caught a jumper lie because it sits down a little bit and it's tough to judge. I think he hit a 9-iron from like 200 yards and it still went over the green. It's crazy to think like that because if he was a step further left he was probably hitting a 7- or 6-iron from the fairway.

It's a challenging course. You need to be in the fairway. If you're in the rough you've got to make sure you have a good angle into the pins. I felt like I did a pretty good job of keeping it in the fairway most of the day. I was in the rough a couple times, but a couple of those holes were par-5s where I was laying up and it all worked out. I was able to post a good number and hopefully can keep the pedal down the rest of the week.

Q. You've posted a good number early on, you've got the rest of the day. What's your plan?

BEN GRIFFIN: I'll probably practise putting a little bit. It was a little inconsistent in the middle. I putted pretty well from mid-range, made a lot of mid-range putts, made a good amount of birdie putts that maybe you don't necessarily expect but you're trying to make. But I need to clean up a little bit from short range. I missed a couple there in the middle. I'll do a little practice, probably relax a little bit at the hotel. It was an early morning so maybe take a small nap. I know my caddie and Viktor and his caddie are going to old Delhi later this afternoon. I don't know if I'm going to make it with them, but they're going to go explore. Whether I go with them or not, I look forward to hearing some stories or experiencing that with them.

Yeah, it's been amazing so far here in Delhi. The experience has been amazing. The fans are great. Tons of fans out there following our group. It was a lot of fun.