New Delhi, Oct 14 Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood knows managing his own “heightened expectations” will be the biggest challenge as he returns to the Delhi Golf Club for the DP World India Championship, but the Englishman is hopeful of handling the pressure and putting up another strong show this week.
Fleetwood won the inaugural edition of the tournament last year and said the memories of his victory could be both a source of confidence and added pressure.
“The biggest challenge is managing your own heightened expectations. You remember how well you played the previous year and that you won the tournament. Those memories help you picture good shots, which is valuable, but you still have to accept the poor ones when they happen,” Fleetwood said at the pre-tournament press conference.
He said returning to a venue where he has enjoyed success is always a positive experience.
“It’s much better to return somewhere with positive feelings and memories of great golf. You can draw on those when you’re preparing and playing. For any golfer, standing on the first tee and being introduced as the defending champion is a lovely feeling. I’m looking forward to that tomorrow, and hopefully we can have another good week here,” he said.
The 35-year-old said he was playing some of the best golf of his career when he won the title last year and also cherished the moments he had with his son Franklin during his stay in India.
“It’s lovely to be back. Returning to a venue where you’ve won always brings back wonderful memories. Last year, this tournament came at a time when I was playing amazing golf — probably some of the best of my career.
“I’ll always be grateful for the moments I shared with Frankie on the 18th green, returning to India after a few years, and the support we received from the crowds. There was so much that made this tournament unique.
Fleetwood also highlighted the tougher rough at the Delhi Golf Club as one of the major differences this year.
“The biggest difference is the rough. You have to play this course from the fairway, which was also true last year. Last year, even if you missed a fairway, you could often advance the ball towards the green and work out where you wanted to leave it. You might not hit the green, but you could get close and give yourself a chance.
“So far this week, having played nine holes early yesterday when it was wet and then the pro-am today, finding the rough has generally meant hacking the ball back into play. That adds another layer of difficulty.
“The overall challenge remains the same — you need to hit fairways to control your approaches — but the rough makes it more punishing.
(PTI News)
