Jakarta, December 11: India’s Anirban Lahiri is back on familiar winning ground this week. The Indonesian Masters holds a special place in Lahiri’s heart as it was his win at the Royal Jakarta Golf Club in 2014 that catapulted him to further success around the world.

In his blog from Jakarta, the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit, who holds seven Tour victories, also opens up about how he is looking forward to his reunion with his friends on the Asian Tour and his younger compatriot, who like him, has also earned the distinction of being Asia’s number one golfer.

By Anirban Lahiri

“It’s nice to come back to a golf course where I have had success before. Coming back to play a full-field event on the Asian Tour is great. I haven’t done this since 2015. It’s nice to see a lot of familiar faces out here and also some new faces who have been making waves as well.

Catching up with the Indian boys who have come up the ranks but I haven’t had much interaction with for the past few years too. It’s great fun. It’s obviously the most fun Tour in the world, without a doubt and it’s my home Tour. It’s just comfortable to come back to this part of the world. I feel at home.

My victory here in 2014 sparked everything and it’s probably the best phase of my career. I gained a lot of confidence from my win here back then. When I walk down the fairways, I feel a lot of positive vibes which gave me a lot of confidence.

My game’s been good but it hasn’t been quite good enough for four days to win. Maybe I need some of these positive vibes to get me back into that winning mode so I can get over the line.

I’m been living in the United States for the last few years. We have settled down nicely. We’ve got a house and we’ve been there for three years now. Obviously, the environment is different from what we get here, even on Tour it’s different.

Off the course in America, it’s very quiet and it’s not as busy. It’s not as hectic as what it would have been in India and that’s something which I have enjoyed, for both my wife and myself. It’s nice to be back in Asia and spend some time with my family and friends in India during this period. It’s a good time of the year and I have been looking forward to this after a long grind earlier.

I don’t think it’s a sacrifice to be away from home. It’s my choice. Every choice you make, you make for your own best interest. I made a difficult choice but it’s a choice which I made so I don’t regret it or feel bad about it. I accept it and I am very happy with the choices that I have made so far. It’s tough work to be away from home and moving out from something you grew up with. I’ve crossed that phase now and I’m comfortable with where I am now.

Shubhankar has played such amazing golf this year and late last year as well. It’s nothing like a one-tournament wonder. He has kept his performance level up and he’s been very consistent, especially in the big events. He’s a superb kid, very hardworking and smart too. Obviously has aspirations of coming to the States as well so hopefully he can achieve that and I can have some company and fun over there.”