DP WORLD INDIA CHAMPIONSHIP

October 13, 2026

Anirban Lahiri

Delhi GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much everybody here. The first official interview the 2026 DP World Tour India Championship, and we have one of our old favorite boys here, someone who loves this golf course, Anirban Lahiri. Welcome to the tournament.

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: So second appearance at this tournament. Any first thoughts? It's a golf course you love. You've done so well here.

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: It's always nice to be back, back to the DGC, back in front of home crowds. To comment on the golf course, I played about 16 holes yesterday. The golf course is in great shape. I think the rough is up more than maybe even last year, which is good.

I think it's going to play really good and I'm looking forward to the challenge again. I think last year was me re-familiarizing myself because that was the first time I came back after the renovation and the changes that were made.

So, yeah, I think the idea is to kind of prepare a little bit better because my old memories of DGC kind of to some extent maybe got in the way.

So I'm just trying to rewire my brain and adapt to the golf course again, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: This is a golf course wherein you have some amazing memories. The golf course is not the same as you just said; it's changed a lot. When you walk through the gates and when you come down to the first tee and kind of the player lounge, what kind of memories do you have? Pleasant ones? A lot of wins here.

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: There are so many memories, memories going back to my first C-category tournament in 1999 playing the Peacock Course where I was just a little boy who was kind of lost.

I still remember. I think Gagan and I played the first two days together way back then. That's what, 27 years ago? And a lot of water under the bridge since then, a lot of scar tissue, a lot of good memories, ups, downs, highs, lows.

So it's just nice. There is a sense of familiarity, a feeling of being at home, which is wonderful. Obviously a lot has changed I think the last decade or so of my coming here.

It's lovely to see so many kids. All the autographs, fans, all the love, it's very humbling and very special. It makes me want to do even better. So it's very motivating.

THE MODERATOR: One last question. What kind of form have you been? A lot of Top 5s, Top 10s in the last few months on the various tours. What kind of form do you come to Delhi Golf Club with?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: I wasn't very happy with how I played the season. It was probably my weakest season in the last few. I did have some time off so I took some time off in September and late August. The last few weeks I've been working hard in Dubai. It's been hot but exciting for me to work towards coming back out here and performing and playing well again.

In terms of form, there really isn't much to talk about because I haven't played competitively in about seven weeks. I feel good about my game. I feel good when I come here. I'm just trying to tap into the work I put in, the memories I have, and just stick to my strategies and execute, because it's as simple as doing that in DGC. If you can do that, you're going to have a good week.

THE MODERATOR: Any questions, raise your hand.

Q. Is there a mindset or a particular way to approach the DGC in terms of making a significant score on a day by day basis? Is there something you need to leave out or add extra that other courses...

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: I think a lot of it has been talked about before. The cliches for DGC always hold true: Hit fairways. A lot of people are not going to carry drivers. I haven't carried one since 2011. So there is a lot of strategies that are tried and tested and have worked over the years. Some of the basic theories of golf, which is keep the ball in play or keep it on the short stuff applies more here than most other golf courses. Not just because of the bushes, it's also because of the length of the rough that they have this year.

I do think in my honest been when DGC plays firm and fast, not just on the greens, but on the fairways, I think it plays its hardest when there is no rough. That's my personal opinion. I played DGC in a variety of conditions: soft, firm, windy, wet, with no rough, a lot of rough.

I think the hardest challenge comes when you know that something slightly offline bounces into the bushes. That's not going to happen this week. You're going to end up in some very long, gnarly long rough. If you can keep it in the fairways you're going to give yourself a lot of opportunity to make birdies.

The greens being as firm as they and the recontouring of the greens, you're not going to get a lot of tap-ins and 4-, 5-footers.

Coming this you're forced to layup and hit longer clubs. With the greens playing the way they are, you're going to have to hit your irons really, really well. I think this week is all about iron play, because you're also going to hit a lot of irons off the tee. Not necessarily 3- and 5-woods and hybrids. A lot of irons. 2-irons even.

So I think whoever hits his irons the best and has a good week on the greens, which you need, is going to have a great week.

Q. (No microphone.)

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: It's hard to say. And I'll tell you why. Usually when you look at a golf course on a Monday you get one feeling, but by the time you get to Wednesday afternoon the golf course generally changes character a little bit. The additional complication or X factor is that we're expecting rain overnight Wednesday or potentially Thursday even.

If it does rain it could change the characteristics. It could play a little bit softer. Having said that, yesterday I played my practice round after rain, and the golf was still extremely firm, at least the greens were.

So it's hard to put a number on it. Again, the quality of field that we have, if anyone of the high quality players in the field has a good outing with the flat stick and the irons, you can expect high teens or pretty much like what Tommy did last year.

Nobody saw 20-under being breached but it was breached. That's what high quality golf looks like, and that's what is very possible this week as well. You get a bout of wind, rain, delays, conditions change, that can change.

But expect high quality golf.

Q. Can you tell us a bit about the LIV situation and your plans for the future?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: The situation is very dynamic. A lot of things going on. It's hard for me to comment on it, also because, you know, it's a matter of seeing how the processes work out.

As for me, I'm just focusing on playing this week. I'm here for the DP World Tour India Championship. I'm excited how I play this week. I think my focus and energies are going to be in the here and now and next week I'm playing in Hong Kong and then I do have the Philippine Open on my schedule, by which time I think we will know.

I think my only message to everyone who is going to have questions regarding this is you have been patient so far. Just give it another month, month and a half, and everyone will know exactly what's happening one way or the other.

So, yeah, that's all I would like to say on that. LIV has been great for me and I've enjoyed it. Would I like for it to continue? Why not. But we don't have a crystal ball so let's see where it goes.

Q. You know the Delhi Golf Club really well. When you play at a golf course which you know so well, does that add a little pressure to your game?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: It's a good question. It's a strange one because I think dealing with the pressure of wanting to play well versus the expectations that people may have or the crowd may have, that is something that I've been dealing with for 15 years now, so it's not something new. Yes, at times it can make you feel like you're not doing well or not doing enough.

At other times, and at most times, when I see people out there who want me to do well, it cheers me up and motivates me and gets me more focused.

Having that said, Delhi Golf Club, no matter how well you know it, it demands you to do certain things. If you do those things, well, you're going to play well. If you don't do those things well or you do them poorly, you're not going to have a good week.

At the end of the day it just comes down to how you execute the plans. Once the gun goes on Thursday, that's all I can focus on and that's all I can control. So, yeah, I would say in fact last year it worked the other way because I knew the old GCC and not the new one at all.

There was a lot of frustrations on, hey, when I hit this club on this line I should have this, should be in this position, but I'm in a bunker because the layout changed.

Or from this position on this green it's always been a right edge; guess what? It's left edge now because the contours have changed.

So I think a lot of what I have known and what I have understood goes out the window and you have to start from fresh. I think that was my biggest takeaway last year, so I'm approaching it from that perspective this year.

Q. You did have three subpar rounds last year despite all that. You said you had seven weeks off competitive golf. That's a long time even by golf standards. Can you just tell us what exactly have you been working on on your game in these seven weeks, and how it has looked on the stats, on the TrackMan and other places, wherever you're practicing at the moment? How is it looking?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: So I had a lot of time --

Q. And also on your fitness.

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: I was going to come to that. So I had a lot of time to reflect after my season. It ended a little abruptly and it was hectic because I was on the road for a long time just with the way things panned out. So I wanted to put my clubs away for a while just to clear my head. There has been a lot of noise with the war situation in Dubai and all the chaos. You're all aware of that and everything else.

So I wanted to let my hair down, just step away from the game for a little bit, and recenter myself. So in that period I said, you know what? Let me focus on my body. I went and visited Dr. Greg Rose at the TPI in August when I was there for my LIV events. I had some really good feedback.

I am now in my 20th year as a professional so a lot of wear and tear, a lot of abuse has happened to the body. So I said, you know what? This is a great opportunity. Like you said, seven weeks is a long stretch. I don't know the last time I had that long of a stretch when it wasn't offseason; technically it isn't.

So I spent the first three and a half weeks pretty much not playing much golf, barely hitting any balls. A lot of time in the gym, a lot of time doing other modalities, recovery, fitness, strengthening, et cetera, et cetera.

So I said, let me work on getting my base stronger. Then I went back to the drawing board. Started from scratch with my fundamentals, and then slowly worked my way into getting ready for a tournament.

So it's been fun. I had a lot of time with my kids at home. They're four and seven. It's a fantastic age. So it was wonderful for me to be a present dad and present husband with our lives. The number of weeks we spend away from our family is a big challenge. I've enjoyed the other roles, the other hats I have to don.

And I was very excited about four weeks in to get back to my work, get back to practice, and get back to being in competitive shape coming into this week.

I'm excited. I'm fresh. Mentally I'm in a really good space.

Q. One last question from me: You reached out long before the Asian Games and told them you want one of the new boys to go and experience that entire thing. Then the Asian Games happened. One of our boys didn't, but Pranavi won the gold medal. Just what were your feelings and what do you have?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: So much pride. I'm so proud of her. She's played brilliant golf, no doubt. I think that's obvious. But she was also on the team, on the previous team when we went to China at the previous Asian Games where other people played brilliantly. She almost got the individual gold. Missed out on the last day unfortunately. Pranavi was on the team, so I got to hang out with her and spend more time with her.

It was good to see how she has really focused since then. She made it a goal. She made it a priority. She's worked really hard towards it.

But a lot of us, not just golfers, athletes in general, we all aspire to be able to peak at the right time, but for her to be actually able to do it when it mattered the most, that's the biggest accomplishment because I think everybody is trying to do exactly that.

And then sometimes when you find yourself in that position, it can be really daunting and challenging, and she got off to a bad start on Sunday and she bounced back from that.

So it's just amazing to the see the overall growth and development that Pranavi's shown. The medal is just a testament to her work. I would also like to give a side mention to the Aditi's back nine. We got another silver medal. Of course riding on Pranavi's good performance, but if Aditi didn't do what she did we would not have got that silver. So credit is due to not just Pranavi but the whole team.

I was talking today and the other boys, they were disappointed. They said we got off to a bad start but we clawed back as hard as we could. So I'm really proud to see that. I'm happy that the average age of the guys, men's team was closer to the high 20s and 30s. That's what we need.

I think we need them to get that experience like I just mentioned Pranavi was there in China all. She got a taste. She understood what she needs to do. She made it a goal. She worked towards it.

That's the whole point of having the younger generation be given the opportunity to represent. I did this way back in 2006 as well. So I think it's the greatest honor to represent your country without a doubt.

At the same time, you can be doing a disservice if you don't allow Ali the next generation to take that forward. So I'm really proud of everyone who represented India.

THE MODERATOR: Indeed, 20 years on, your silver medal, and now we have a silver and a gold. Really fantastic.

Q. You spoke about the end of the LIV season being hectic. Can you describe how it has sort of been managing the challenge of distractions for you this season with obviously a lot of uncertainty happening?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: It's been actually ver easy for me because I've just -- I keep joking with my friends that I live under a rock in Dubai and I actually do. The best thing that I found for my own peace of mind was to not go looking for information. The one thing I also learned is if you go looking for information you're going to hear ten things and nine half will be untrue.

So the reality is that the one thing I learned in the last four, four and a half years is until something has actually happened it's not happening. It's just been a cycle that's been on repeat. People say things that are rumors, this is believed, this is believed. Somebody else is doing that. It just continues, and then something totally different happens.

For me I'm going to do what I need to do. My time was well spent with my family focused on my own wellbeing, their wellbeing. I love playing golf. I believe I have a lot of gas left in the tank, a lot more that I want to achieve, and I'm going to continue to work my hardest to be the best golfer I can.

Where I play is going to be based on the best interest of my family and myself. When that opportunity or option is put in front of me I'll exercise the best option. Outside of that, I don't pay attention to what's going on because there is no point. There is nothing I can do to alter the larger scheme of things outside my own golf and the quality that I bring to a golf courses, which is why I said that the best thing that everybody can do is chill out and wait for a month; let things play out.

Then I know there is less sensationalism, less page three tabloid media to put out there, but it's great to sure our mental health.

Q. I think you have until the 25th to communicate your decision.

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: Do I?

Q. I believe so. The bankruptcy court is set out for the 25th of October. Have you communicated any decision at the moment, or is that something you'll leave to the deadline?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: There is a lot of things happening which I'm not privy to share. Like I said, I'm going to make my decision when my options are in front of me, and the decisions will be based on what I believe is in the best interest of my family and myself.

I've had the time myself life the last four years. It's been fantastic. At the end of the day I'm a professional golfer. I intend to continue to do what I do at the highest level possible to the best of my ability. Whatever option allows me to balance that with where I find myself in my life is what I'm going to do.

Q. Similar question. Is there a sense of familiarity when you come back to the Delhi Golf Club course, or like in golf you can never take anything for granted as far as the course conditions are concerned?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: You know, I will answer that in a lighter manner. I think the first 15 or 20 time I came here the one thing that made me the most comfortable was having my scrambled eggs or my toast with sausage in the morning. Unfortunately the DGC annex is closed during these events, so there is a lot less familiarity at breakfast.

But the rest remains the same. You see the same faces, see the guys you grew up with, see a lot of the DGC boys that were born and raised here. You see them age and their kids and, oh, man, I've been around this game and this place for a long time and it's been very special. It's been very -- it's very humbling because you get received very warmly.

A lot of the kids look up to you. A lot of your peers that enjoy your success and have been partners at different stages.

So like I said, it's special, which is why I have a love not just for golf, but a love for golf in India. I have a love for the game and how this country is so special to me. I have my own foundation now and I'm trying to bring that same sense of growth of wanting to give back, wanting to build a community, build excellence, grow the game, so so many things, and it all comes back to golf and home.

So this is both.

Q. I wanted to understand your assessment of India men's golf right now, just the skills our boys have. What do you think we can learn from other professionals around the world considering we haven't really been winning abroad? Thoughts on that?

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: It's a good question. We have a conveyer belt of some really exceptional young golfers we are producing. You are right, if it you were to only look at numbers we've had a few lean years. Not as many international winds on any tours, to be honest.

But that doesn't mean we don't have the talent. I think there is enough there to work with. I personally believe that the golf has grown. I think there has been more professional opportunities in this country, which have also helped.

At the end of the day it's about your mindset and how you prepare for the challenges you'll face abroad. I don't think Indian golf courses and the setups that a lot of Indian tours are playing best prepare you for what you face abroad.

And that's not just me. It was the same during my time. Then you have to adapt, be agile, be able to think and prepare for, okay, what am I going to face when I play the DP World Tour or whichever tour. So comes down to how you train and how your support team is managing that.

So I think there is a lot of growth yet that needs to happen in that area. I think once you start seeing a little more holistic approach you'll see better results. You don't want them to be flashes in the pan. You want it to be something structured where you know these kids are going to grow.

So I think that's happening. Maybe not as fast as we need to, but more of that needs to happen.

THE MODERATOR: All the very best, and I hope you get another win at Delhi Golf Club, as you usually do.

ANIRBAN LAHIRI: Thank you so much.

THE MODERATOR: Have a great week.