Call it maturity or clarity of thought, Anirban Lahiri sounds every bit like a student firmly on the learning curve. Nearing a decade of being a professional golfer, the 29-year old is looking ahead with optimism after an ordinary 2016.
After four top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour recently, Lahiri is back here to regain the Hero Indian Open title won in 2015. On the eve of the premier event, Lahiri recalled how a chat with Australian Adam Scott, ranked eighth in the world, made a difference.
“I remember Adam (Scott) saying, ‘I only like to play golf when I’m ready and ready to win. I don’t want to come out and play a golf course when I don’t feel like I’m ready to win. The more you do that, the better you will be prepared’.”
Lahiri continued, “To cut a long story short, I got injured last year. I put that down to all of the miles that I did. It almost started in 2014 with me trying to get on to the European Tour. From September 2014 until August 16 it was just non-stop. It caught up with me and my body gave up. I wasn’t enjoying golf any more. I wasn’t enjoying playing any more because I overdid it.
“One of the important things that I did was, I had to rehab, so I made a conscious decision to take time off from the game. My wife and I, we did a trek, it refreshed me. It made me see all the things I have been missing in life. It kind of gives you perspective. It makes you hungry,” he said.
“Now, I’ve gotten back to my meditation. I’ve started working with professionals in terms of fitness and nutrition. I feel like it’s helping. We’re working backwards from what I need instead of just looking at the week ahead, being more systematic in my methodology. I had to do what I did, I don’t regret it, but I do learn from it.”
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