Leading Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri says professional golf is going through a transition following the introduction of LIV Golf and people need to be patient at the moment.
Lahiri, who finished second in the inaugural S.S.P. Chawrasia Invitational tournament at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club course on Saturday, was pleased with his experience with LIV Golf so far.
“It has been a wonderful experience. Starting out, I had some reservations because I did not know what I was going into. I had spoken to my friends who had already transitioned. It has been fantastic, they have taken unbelievable care of us and the golf courses have been immaculate. The attention to detail is very impressive. I can’t speak highly enough of how they have conducted the events and have taken care of the players,” Lahiri told Sportstar.
The 35-year-old gave his views about the venture attracting some criticism.
“There are many different perspectives from which you can give the current golf scenario. I won’t just single out LIV Golf. There are a lot of different organizations that are not necessarily taking the high road of behaving in the most amicable manner. LIV Golf has been very black and white with what they are trying to do. There is going to be a new format, there is a big change, there is going to be a big disruption. With that comes negativity, nobody likes disruption,” Lahiri said.
“Being a part of LIV, we almost feel a bit ostracised. I think a lot of the criticisms are invalid. Some of them are (valid), I understand. There are a lot of criticisms on the other side too, but nobody wants to talk about that because the media comes across as biased, let’s put it like that. Only time will tell where this goes.
“In four-five years, if LIV Golf becomes like a T20 format and people start enjoying it, then it will be a completely different story. On the other side, if it does not come up on all their targets, we will see how it works out. Professional golf is in a transition phase and everybody needs to be patient and mature in how to handle the situation. All three parties, the players, the fans and spectators, and the organization, are three different stakeholders and they all have different views on the topic. We have to be sensitive to all of them.”
Lahiri said it was difficult for him to move base from the USA to Dubai last month. “I had to give it a lot of thought. I have been wanting to move back to India for years now and I first thought of coming back home. But given my schedule and how much I need to travel and having (two) young children, Dubai was the ideal in between – good for golf, close to home and easy for me to travel while I am playing a lot.”
The ace golfer, whose tied-fifth position in the 2015 PGA Championship stands as the best finish by an Indian at a Major, said he would compete in 20 to 24 events, primarily in LIV Golf and Asian Tour and sporadically in the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), in a year.
“I got a call from S.S.P. about a month ago. Obviously it is a big deal for him, he is hosting his first invitational. Some of the other senior players were not here – Shiv is injured, Jeev is in between playing Q-school, going to Japan – and he (S.S.P.) is a dear friend. So I wanted to come out and really support him regardless of what my plans were.
“Being a part of LIV, we almost feel a bit ostracised. I think a lot of the criticisms are invalid. Some of them are (valid), I understand. There are a lot of criticisms on the other side too, but nobody wants to talk about that because the media comes across as biased, let’s put it like that. Only time will tell where this goes.”Anirban Lahiri
“Hopefully, with all these new developments that are forthcoming, we have more players playing internationally. Because at the end of the day, regardless of the quality of golf on the PGTI, there are certain limitations and restrictions in terms of conditions and the golf courses we play, the diversity. So I won’t just use PGTI as a yardstick but it is definitely a honing ground. It is definitely a place from where a lot of these talents look to push on and move forward and make successful careers internationally.”
Looking back at his career, Lahiri picked his first win, the Panasonic Open in 2015, the Indian Open victory, second places at the 2022 Players’ championship and at the 2017 Memorial and his PGA Championship showing in Whistling Straits in the USA among some of the memorable moments for him.
“I wish I had a few more Ws. In the last few years, I have had a few seconds to show. But hopefully that will change going forward,” said Lahiri.
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