Lahiri's move to LIV Series fuelled by quest for 'work-life balance'

Anirban Lahiri, the highest-ranked Indian golfer in the world who finished second in The Players Championship earlier this year, has announced his decision to join the LIV Series in an effort to achieve a better “work-life balance”.

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The world No 92 is one of six new players making their debut in Boston this week at the Greg Norman-fronted and Saudi Golf-backed tournament that has been seriously opposed by the PGA Tour.

The 35-year-old Lahiri, the only Indian full member of the PGA Tour, will become the only contracted Asian player on the LIV Series -- a new league that has split the golf world down the middle by offering mega million-dollar contracts to players, and which is set to add World No 2 Cameron Smith of Australia to its list of stars this week.

“I really don’t have anything negative to say about the PGA Tour. The eight years I spent playing there have been an amazing experience. I greatly enjoyed competing against some of the best players in the world. This is more of a personal decision,” Lahiri told Hindustan Times on Tuesday.

“I have already alluded to this in a previous interview with Hindustan Times. It’s a very lonely life out there as a top athlete, and that is something many fans are unable to comprehend. Just to give you an example, finishing second at the Players was such a huge thing for me, but I could not celebrate until four months later in July when I visited India after the Scottish Open.

“I see this as an effort to correct my work-life balance. I see this as a move back closer to my family and friends. I see this as something that gives me more time to enjoy my kids growing up, because I know how consumed I was with my golf when Tisya was born and I was struggling to keep my card on the Tour at that time.”

Though he did not win a tournament on the PGA Tour, Lahiri had several close calls since he started playing Stateside from 2015 onwards.

The pandemic changed everything, including his outlook on life. In the middle of 2021, he contracted COVID, which was severe enough for him to be rushed to the emergency – not once, but twice. It was a scary few weeks for the 2015 Hero Indian Open champion with a young family. His daughter (Tisya) was just a year old at that point. The priorities changed even more when Lahiri and his wife Ipsa welcomed their second child (son Avyaan) in May this year.

Lahiri revealed earlier this year how he came close to quitting his PGA Tour status a couple of times and moving back closer to his family and friends. That was the biggest attraction for the Indian ace when he was approached by LIV Series.

Lahiri is now confident the move is also going to help him become a better golfer.

“I am a player who needs regular ‘maintenance’ of his swing. Whenever I don’t see my coach (Vijay Divecha) for a protracted period of time, small mistakes tend to creep into my game. These can be something as small as bad posture, but that, obviously, has a big effect on how I play,” said Lahiri.

“I have felt at times these last few years that my golf had plateaued. I felt I wasn’t playing to my potential, which is almost as bad a feeling when you are just playing badly. Obviously, in today’s day and age, we can have video sessions etc. But I am a very feel-oriented player and I need regular physical intervention from Vijay sir. Every time we have worked together, I have played better when I have gone back.

“I am looking forward to regular sessions with him. And I absolutely believe that this, along with an improved social life, is going to do wonders to my game.”

While PGA Tour’s commissioner Jay Monahan has been steadfast in his resolve not to let players who have joined the LIV Series back on the Tour, there is also a possibility that Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points could be denied to LIV Tour for a period that is long enough for many of their stars to lose their current position and thus make them ineligible to play in Major championships.

“Of course, I have considered those possibilities, and obviously, I am hoping that everything gets sorted out soon, including OWGR points for LIV events. I know there are several past champions in LIV Series, but it would be strange if guys like DJ (Dustin Johnson), Brooks (Koepka), Phil (Mickelson) and Bryson (DeChambeau) are unable to get into future majors because they don’t have enough OWGR points,” said Lahiri, who is currently fifth in Asian Tour’s career money list.

“I have a great back-up plan in the Asian Tour. It will be somewhat of a homecoming for me, and I think I need that at this point of my career. The new International Series events have been amazing for all my friends back home. I have always enjoyed travelling to places like Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. The camaraderie between the players is at a different level. I have had more dinner get-togethers in one Asian Tour event than I did throughout a season on the PGA Tour.”

Lahiri also believes that the LIV model, with its impetus on team golf, quicker rounds, and plenty of entertainment, has all the right ingredients to succeed.

“At the moment, LIV has been focussed mainly on getting players on board. Most of their other ‘business activations’ will happen after this,” explained Lahiri who has always enjoyed being part of team events, be it for the Internationals in the Presidents Cup, or Asia in EurAsia Cup.

“I have sat with them to understand the business model, and I strongly believe they will succeed. It won’t be right for me to reveal their plans, except for the fact that team golf is extremely exciting, and a lot can be done around the right kind of teams.”

Lahiri said that the LIV Series can be to golf the kind of game-changer that IPL has been to cricket.

“My analogy is simple…I look at the Indian Premier League (IPL) and T20. When it started, I remember the almost-vehement opposition it received. But it had the potential of changing the way we consumed cricket. And change is always good,” he said.

“Look at it now. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is laughing all the way to the bank, and so are the players. The broadcasters are delighted because they get off-the-chart ratings. I am a big Test cricket fan personally, but I have had so much fun watching the IPL matches, and so have the other ticket-paying public... LIV can be the IPL of golf.”

Lahiri said his move will make a big impact on Indian golf.

“Let’s start with the fact that TV channels in India hardly broadcast golf. Considering this scenario, so many people have told me how they have enjoyed the free streaming of LIV Golf. When Viraj (Madappa) played in the London event, Indian fans actually got to see him hitting shots during the telecast. I think that will be a key factor given we have smaller fields for LIV Series,” Lahiri said.

“Then there is always the money factor. I do not mean it in any negative way, but in a country where there so much importance on education, to the extent that it has taken away exceptionally talented athletes away from their chosen sports, it is a big deal for parents to know that their kids will be able to earn decent money if they pick golf as their career.

“Also, you have seen first-hand how I tend to make my practice time in India resemble a community golf camps. I love practising and talking with the kids whenever I am there. If I am able to do that more frequently, I will be able to motivate a small but significant number of them to pursue our sport seriously. I see that as my legacy.”

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