LONDON: A decade spent practising the art of meditation has played a fundamental role in transforming Anirban Lahiri from an also-ran golfer into a world-class performer, the Indian said.

The 27-year-old has surged to 34th in the world rankings after winning two of the last three European Tour events, this month's Malaysian Open and the Indian Open on Sunday.

Both victories were close calls - Lahiri pipped Austria's Bernd Wiesberger by one shot in Kuala Lumpur and overcame compatriot SSP Chawrasia in a playoff in New Delhi.

He believes the time he spends meditating is invaluable in tight situations.

"I've been doing it for about 10 years and it helps me when things get really tight and the pressure is on," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"When you practice meditation it's all about controlling your breath, understanding what your body is feeling under pressure, whether your heart rate is high or low, whether your tight or relaxed or tense, anxious, or just happy.

"When I meditate it's like an exercise in self observation and when you observe yourself it kind of helps you to disassociate from pressure situations."

Lahiri said it came to the fore in the final round of the Indian Open when he needed a moment of magic to save his par at the penultimate hole of regulation.

"When you practice meditation enough it becomes automatic," he explained. "For instance on Sunday I wasn't thinking I needed to chip in at the 17th.

"I'm just not thinking about the result or the outcome or judging myself by it, I'm thinking about what I feel at that moment. I stay in the present and don't look into the future."

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Red-hot Lahiri lauds effects of meditation

By Tony Jimenez

LONDON Tue Feb 24, 2015 12:12pm GMT

LONDON Feb 24 (Reuters) - A decade spent practising the art of meditation has played a fundamental role in transforming Anirban Lahiri from an also-ran golfer into a world-class performer, the Indian said.

The 27-year-old has surged to 34th in the world rankings after winning two of the last three European Tour events, this month's Malaysian Open and the Indian Open on Sunday.

Both victories were close calls -- Lahiri pipped Austria's Bernd Wiesberger by one shot in Kuala Lumpur and overcame compatriot SSP Chawrasia in a playoff in New Delhi.

He believes the time he spends meditating is invaluable in tight situations.

"I've been doing it for about 10 years and it helps me when things get really tight and the pressure is on," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"When you practice meditation it's all about controlling your breath, understanding what your body is feeling under pressure, whether your heart rate is high or low, whether your tight or relaxed or tense, anxious, or just happy.

"When I meditate it's like an exercise in self observation and when you observe yourself it kind of helps you to disassociate from pressure situations."

Lahiri said it came to the fore in the final round of the Indian Open when he needed a moment of magic to save his par at the penultimate hole of regulation.

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INTERVIEW-Golf-Red-hot Lahiri lauds effects of meditation