Accuracy over power: Stars relish ‘refreshing’ challenge at Delhi Golf Club 

By Mathieu Wood

The driver is often considered the most important club in the bag, but that will certainly not be the case this week at the DP World India Championship.

Host venue for the inaugural edition of the $4 million tournament, the Lodhi course at Delhi Golf Club – measuring 6,912 yards - is among the shortest on the DP World Tour’s 2025 Race to Dubai schedule.

While it may feature four par fives, all are short by professional standards – ranging from 507 to 556 yards on the scorecard.

Located in the heart of Delhi, the par 72 layout is set among ruined tombs and provides an exacting test.

Unlike many a venue where distance is paramount, a premium is placed on accuracy off the tee due to narrow fairways, with strategy a key source of discussion among the star-studded international field in the build-up.

“It’s kind of refreshing to be playing a golf course like this,” said Shane Lowry, who is making his first appearance in India since 2010.

“We play so many golf courses now where you don’t even think about it and just hit driver on every hole.

"It’s just an old school golf course and it’s very tight off the tee. It’s going to be enjoyable to play."

While Lowry predicts he will use his driver twice per round this week, career grand slam winner and Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy is seemingly not even planning on carrying the club in his bag.

“The next time I hit my driver will be in Abu Dhabi,” said the Race to Dubai leader, referring to next month’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links – the opening event of the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs.

“I just don’t feel like the risk is worth the reward.

"I’d rather leave myself two or three clubs back and hit a seven iron into a par four instead of hitting a wedge.

“Just get it offline here and the ball is gone. You are hitting it into jungle, and you are not going to be able to hit it out and you could rack up a big number very quickly.”

Opting for a driver-free strategy is by choice for McIlroy, but it is unclear whether Viktor Hovland’s planned similar strategy is more forced upon him due to physical limitations on his return to action from a neck injury which affected his participation at last month’s Ryder Cup.

The Norwegian compared this week’s course to Mayakoba, which winds through a tropical jungle in Mexico, and previously hosted the World Wide Technology Championship on the PGA TOUR, an event he won back-to-back in 2020 and 2021.

It’s an opinion that is shared by two-time PGA TOUR winner Ben Griffin, who is making his first start since his Ryder Cup debut at Bethpage.

“It’s very tight, a difficult golf course,” said the World Number 12. “I’m excited for a fun and challenging week.”

Fellow American Brian Harman has previously expanded his competitive presence on the global stage, competing at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour last year, and he is in no doubt that precision is more an asset than power this week.

“It’s a cool golf course, definitely a second-shot course,” said the 2023 Open champion.

"You have just got to be in position coming into the greens or you can get into some real trouble.

“I think it is great to get out of your bubble, get out of your comfort zone a little bit.

"I have always felt like my game travels pretty good.”

While many of those in the field are experiencing new surroundings, there are plenty for whom that is not the case.

For one, Tommy Fleetwood is returning to Delhi Golf Club for the first time since 2016, when he competed at the venue in the Hero Indian Open - the last event to be staged at the venue on the DP World Tour.

Plenty has changed in his career since then, with the Englishman - widely regarded as one of the best ball strikers in the game - hoping to challenge for another title in what has been a career-best year.

"Getting the chance to come back here is really cool," said the World Number Five.

"That is one of the great things about this Tour and golf that you do have the chance to come to these places and travel."

While he is not short of support as a globally recognised star of the game, there are no fewer than 29 Indian players in the field at an event which is co-sanctioned with the Professional Golf Tour of India.

Among those is Anirban Lahiri, who is shouldering some of the hopes of his nation as he returns to the scene of his victory in his national Open in 2015.

Having struggled at the course initially, it took the Indian trailblazer several attemps to grow acustomed to its challenges and he is hoping to make his experience count.

"I've had many a torn shirt from the bushes," reflected Lahiri, who first came to Delhi Golf Club as a 12-year-old in 1999.

"It took me a mere 10-15 years to figure out what I needed to do but it has been a love affair since then.

"I am hoping I can continue that. I am just excited to be back on a happy hunting ground."

Based on those words, you'd imagine that practice makes perfect but what isn't in doubt is that players - from wherever that may be and with varying levels of experience in India - are relishing the challenge ahead.