Luke Donald checks in at DGC after Ryder Cup grind

New Delhi: After the grind of Ryder Cup where he led Europe to a second successive title win last month, Luke Donald is in the national capital gearing up for the DP World India Championship, the biggest golf tournament to be played in India.

The win at Farmingdale, USA, which followed the one in Italy last year has earned him plaudits, some even calling him the greatest ever European captain.

Donald said this was just the break he wanted after the gruelling Ryder Cup where Europe triumphed over USA.

“I think actually coming here, playing a tournament will actually help. It will get my mind more back on what I need to do this week,” said Donald to the media on Tuesday afternoon.

“The lead-up to the Ryder Cup, you're spending five or six weeks just thinking about all kinds of different things, partnerships, pairings, the golf course, the gifting. There's just so much that goes into it that your mind is kind of clogged. I've had many nights where I've woken up with Ryder Cup dreams and things where I had forgotten my radio one night and there's still one game out on the course and I was panicking and I was trying to get to the game. Just things like that. It just takes a little bit of time for you to settle down.”

Among the competitors that Donald will face are current Masters champion Rory McIlroy, who is also the leader in Race to Dubai rankings and FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood.

Leading contenders with the DP World Championship Trophy

Donald arrived on Monday night following some delays and got his first shot at the practice on Tuesday. He is yet to see the course.

However, he says that the traditional course is narrow and tight. In short, it will demand extra care.

“Just did some practice for a few hours. I haven't seen the course yet. I've seen pictures. My caddie walked around and sent me some pictures yesterday. Obviously a very unique golf course,” added Donald. 

“It's very close to the centre of town and unique in terms of how narrow it is. It's an interesting, very old-school kind of golf course… it's not just stand up there and hit drivers. A lot of the guys won't bring their driver out of the bag this week, I'm sure.”

Shubhankar Sharma and Anirban Lahiri will lead the Indian challenge.

Sharma, touted as the next big thing in Indian golf, has been having a forgettable season. He has made cut only five times in 25 starts.

He is banking on home advantage.

“Most of the Indian players, we've spent so many evenings here practicing as kids playing. It just feels like home. Even now, I came here after five years. 2020 is the last time I played, but it felt like yesterday that I was in the evening practicing here, play five holes, go to the annex and have something and then play four more holes.”

Sharma is excited about playing such a massive tournament being hosted in the country.

“It's amazing. 2007 or 2008 was the last time we had such a big event. Ernie Els came and we had a host of stars. Since then the Indian Open mostly has been very big. But to have such a big event in India, the DP World India Championship now, I hope that it continues for many years now, and to have all these players come here, it's amazing.”

Lahiri too is banking on the familiarity with the course.

“I'm very excited to be back. A lot of things have changed since I last played the course. It's undergone a beautiful renovation. I was very excited to see all the new changes. It's still got a familiar feel. I think off the tee it's still the same. But very happy and excited to be back,” said Lahiri.

“You said the course has always been good to me; that's not true. I've had my struggles. The last few times I've been here, it's become more of a friend, and I hope to have that relationship continue.”

Tags : Luke Donald, DP World India Championship, Europe, USA, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood