Anirban Lahiri, a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour, feels the International Series is an opportunity that players from the region must grab with both hands and use as a springboard to become better golfers and grow their profile globally.
The Indian ace, who is the only contracted Asian player on LIV Golf, lamented the fact that he did not have such a platform in his early years as a pro.
Asked about the presence of 14 Indian players in the field this week at the $2 million International Series England, Lahiri said: “All the Indians, and other Asian players, have a great opportunity. The young guys on the Tour can test themselves against a great field, and more importantly, in conditions that are outside our comfort zones.
“There’s a lot of learning, a lot of adapting that has to happen on the fly really quickly. You need to know how much shorter the ball goes when it rains, or, when the cloud rolls in, and when the sun comes out. Like this week in the UK, the weather literally changes every 10 minutes, and the conditions would change as well.
“There’s a lot to add to your repertoire, and to your experience. That’s what is going to make you a better golfer. That’s what I benefited from in my early years, playing all over the world. So, these events are fantastic. They give you that fertile soil to really grow.”
Lahiri remembers one particular round back in 2013 which proved transformational in his career – on the Sunday of the 2013 Thai Golf Championship at Amata Springs.
“I played well that week and was paired with Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson in the final round. It was probably the first time I was playing with two of the greatest ball-strikers of our time. And it was a masterclass for me,” reminisces Lahiri.
“Just standing five feet away from these players, I could hear sounds of their golf shots, which were as different from others as their ball flights. It was a massive learning experience for me. It showed me that there were so many different shots that I needed to add to my skills.
“The Thai Golf Championship, and a few other co-sanctioned events on the European Tour were the only opportunities we’d get to play with world-class players, but they would still be in our home conditions.
“That round at Amata Springs gave me another standard to which I needed to hold myself to. It was critical for me to start moving to the next level. It was a priceless experience and a rare one for us to get. That’s something that the young Asian Tour players are now getting through the International Series. It’s fantastic they get to compete with some of the top LIV Golf players, and they are getting to play in different conditions.”
Lahiri said the first couple of years outside Asia were going to be tough for the players, but they need to keep learning and taking notes.
“Golf is a game where the slightest change in conditions asks you to hit different shots,” said the 2015 Asian Tour No1.
“In UK, you get fescue grass, which you do not in Asia. You don’t get winds of 20-30mph and you don’t get bone-chilling cold weather back home. Poa annua is a very different grass that we don’t get much in Asia. The desert course in Morocco is again something new for us. How you use the bounce of your wedges differs from golf course to golf course.
“We need to know our limitations, and we need to challenge those limitations. You need to make a list of shots that you don’t know. Like, I can’t hit the high draw, or the super low bullet 2-iron, or the low-spin driver, what chip to hit on what grass…
“You then need to learn those shots. That’s how you become more rounded as a professional. You’re not going to be a one-dimensional player, and that’s going to make you a better player globally.
“And you have to embrace these global opportunities. That’s the reason I have the highest regards for Hideki (Matsuyama). He could have stayed in his comfort zone playing JGTO events, which is a great Tour. But he took himself out of there, went through the hardships, kept learning and getting better and has become a global superstar of our sport.”
