Tag: Anirban Lahiri

LIV Golf players dish on if they even want to return to the PGA Tour

Phil Mickelson said “not a single” LIV Golf player wanted to return to the PGA Tour and his colleagues backed him up.

As the powers that be continue to iron out details for the proposed framework agreement that aims to unite professional golf, one of the biggest questions is what must happen for players who left for LIV Golf to return to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Phil Mickelson didn’t mince words when he recently claimed “not a single player” who joined LIV Golf wanted to play on the PGA Tour. Are there some events players have fond memories of and wish they could play? Absolutely. But a full PGA Tour schedule, or even an abbreviated one, doesn’t sound appealing to the vast majority of those who made the leap to the 48-player, 12-team league.

We asked a handful of players what they thought ahead of this week’s LIV Golf Bedminster event at Trump National in New Jersey, and the answers were very similar.

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One former PGA Tour pro now with LIV Golf says players feel ‘ostracized’ since making jump

The former European Tour and PGA Tour player said he’s enjoyed his time with the new league, but it has come with a price.

Anirban Lahiri has spent significant time on a number of premier golf circuits around the world.

With seven wins on the Asian Tour, a pair of European Tour victories, a dozen titles on the Professional Golf Tour of India as well as time on the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour, and now with LIV Golf, Lahiri certainly has perspective when he ponders the mental state of players on his current circuit.

And since the Saudi-funded operation has drawn heat over accusations over the regime’s wide-ranging human rights abuses, including politically motivated killings, torture, forced disappearances and inhumane treatment of prisoners, it’s made the climate for players on LIV Golf peculiar, to say the least.

Lahiri, who nearly dropped out of the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking, told the Indian monthly sports magazine Sportstar that he’s enjoyed his time with the new league, but it has come with a price.

“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 told the magazine.

“Being a part of LIV, we almost feel a bit ostracized. 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.”

Lahiri made his first LIV Golf start in Boston, the circuit’s fourth tournament, reaching a playoff that was decided by Dustin Johnson’s spectacular uphill putt. Lahiri missed a short eagle putt on the 18th hole that would’ve given him an outright victory.

And although he’s yet to follow that impressive debut with another top-5 finish, Lahiri said he’s been pleased with the treatment the players have received from the league.

“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,” he said. “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.

“In four, five years, if … 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.”

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‘It’s holy ground’: As LIV Golf heads to new course in Thailand, one player compared it to Augusta National

“I think in terms of the conditions, it’s pristine.”

After hosting four consecutive events in the United States, the LIV Golf Invitational Series has packed up shop for a two-week trip abroad.

The upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is hosting its first of consecutive events in Asia this week at the newly-opened Stonehill Golf Club, located an hour north of Bangkok, Thailand.  Before the series heads home next week to the familiar Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – the host of the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour – players made sure to heap praise on this week’s course.

One player compared the new track to one of the most heralded properties in the game.

“I think in terms of the conditions, it’s pristine. It’s literally — it’s holy ground. It’s so pure out there,” said Anirban Lahiri, who is making his third start on the series this week. “I would say this is the closest you’d come to maybe comparing to conditions in Augusta, just in terms of the pure turf conditions. It’s phenomenal.”

“It’s ridiculous how good it is,” he added.

Lahiri has played in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club twice, finishing T-49 in 2015 and T-42 in 2016.

Stonehill has been described as a pet project of Sarath Ratanavadi, Thailand’s fourth-richest man, and his son, Saris Ratanavadi. Bloomberg reports that Sarath, the 57-year-old founder and CEO of Gulf Energy Development, is worth $11.1 billion. The tycoon approached LIV Golf this summer and has hinted at other golf tours hosting events at Stonehill.

“I think the good thing is everybody is playing it for the first time, so no one has got an advantage,” said Lahiri, the two-time European Tour winner in 2015 and seven-time Asian Tour winner from 2011-2015. “I think obviously it’s wide open, so you’ve got to hit it good off the tee, but it’s a second-shot golf course.”

“I think I need to eat a lot of curry and pad Thai maybe and help my distance, find another 30 yards before I tee off,” said Kevin Na, who noted the wide fairways will be a bomber’s paradise. “It’s a very, very long golf course.”

“The only thing I feel like that can play in my favor,” explained Na, “there’s good undulations on the green. There’s some runoffs. I feel like you have to putt very well out here, and I think that’s one way that I can make up for the driving distance.”

Na thinks this week’s event will be decided based on how LIV sets up the course

“I hope the rules committee set it up sensible because if you play a back tee every hole and tuck every pin, I just don’t think that’ll be exciting. It won’t be exciting,” said Na, who spoke with rules officials about drivable par-4s and reachable par-5s. “The fans are out here to see birdies and eagles. I’m not saying set it up easy, but I’m saying you have to have a good mixture, and especially with a golf course that nobody has ever played and we don’t know what’s capable.

“I think the first day you have to play it on the safe side and see what happens.”

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Dustin Johnson jars eagle putt to win LIV Golf Invitational Boston event on first playoff hole

It came down to the 55th hole.

Dustin Johnson’s putt was coming in hot.

He smashed an eagle putt up the hill on the 18th green at The International in Bolton, Massachusetts, knowing if it went in, he would win. It carried speed when hitting the back of the hole, bounced up and them tumbled in.

Johnson’s eagle putt gave him a victory on the first playoff hole at the LIV Golf Invitational event in Boston, the series fourth event. It is the first time there has been a playoff, and Johnson is the first American to win a LIV event.

“It’s a great victory,” Johnson said “Obviously we’ve got a great field, a lot of great players. Yeah, it’s up there for sure.”

Johnson beat Joaquin Niemann and Anirban Lahiri, who both were playing in their first LIV event after leaving the PGA Tour, in the playoff. Lahiri had a short birdie putt and Niemann had one for par when Johnson made his eagle.

Lahiri missed a short eagle putt on the 18th hole that would’ve given him an outright victory.

The 4 Aces, which is Johnson’s team and also consists of Talor Gooch, Pat Perez and Patrick Reed, won their third straight event, ending at 32 under. Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers finished second at 30 under while Lee Westwood’s Majesticks came in third at 27 under.

“I felt like we had a really good read on it,” Johnson said of his putt. “I might have hit it a little harder than I wanted to, but as soon as I hit it, I’m like, ‘whoa,’ and then it was on a good line, and I’m like, ‘hit the hole, hit the hole, hit the hole,’ and it went in somehow. I think the hole is indented for sure.”

Lee Westwood made a bogey on the final hole to finish one shot out of the playoff at 14 under. Cam Smith, the world No. 2, bogeyed his second-to-last hole and also finished at 14 under in his LIV Golf debut.

LIV’s next event is in Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms in two weeks.

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Harold Varner: ‘I hate being hated’ among the interesting things said at LIV Golf Invitational Boston press conference

It’s been more than a month since we last saw LIV golfers on the course.

It’s been more than a month since we last saw LIV Golf Series players on the course but that’s how it’s going in this breakaway league, which has only eight events in 2022.

Ahead of the fourth event during this inaugural season, LIV introduced its six newest members Wednesday in Bolton, Massachusetts, outside Boston.

The International is the host venue for the three-day, 54-hole, no-cut event that starts Friday.

Cam Smith, Champion Golfer of the Year and Players Championship winner, makes his circuit debut. He’s ranked No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking and is now the highest ranked member of the Saudi government-backed golf series.

Two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson is also making his first appearance but he won’t be playing just yet. Still recovering from knee surgery, Watson is LIV Golf’s first non-playing captain.

There are 12 teams of four golfers, and Watson’s squad includes fellow newcomer Harold Varner III.

Other recent signees include Anirban Lahiri, Cameron Tringale and Marc Leishman.

Report: Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann among group of players heading to LIV Golf next week in Boston

The announcement is set to come next week.

At the conclusion of the Tour Championship, expect the next wave of LIV Golf announcements to come quickly.

Cameron Smith, who has long been rumored to be heading to the Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led series, is among at least five other players who will tee it up at LIV Golf’s fourth event in Boston next week, according to reports from Sports Illustrated and Golf Channel. Smith declined to comment on his departure at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and Niemann told Golf Channel on Friday he had yet to make up his mind.

Joining Smith and Niemann will be Marc Leishman, Cameron Tringale, Harold Varner III and Anirban Lahiri, according to the reports. Golf Channel reported Mito Pereira is also heading to LIV Golf, but SI said Pereira wasn’t going to play in next week’s event.

Smith, Niemann and Pereira are all automatic qualifiers at the Presidents Cup for the International Team, but if they were to join the breakaway series, they would all vacate their spots and be suspended from the PGA Tour.

The Presidents Cup is set for next month at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Both Smith and Niemann are playing in the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta this weekend.

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Cameron Smith may just win a major in 2022, Lahiri earned a lot of fans Monday, plus a Valspar Championship preview

This week on the Twilight 9 podcast: Cam Smith’s triumph, Valspar preview, picks, and more.

Cameron Smith, after one of the weirdest weekends in golf that I can remember, won the Players Championship by one shot over Anirban Lahiri. Despite finding the water on 18, Smith clipped a spinny wedge from 54 yards to tap-in range, forcing Lahiri to make birdie. Lahiri’s birdie chip wasn’t meant to be, and Smith joined a long line of Australians to win the PGA Tour’s biggest event.

The now sixth-ranked player in the game has put the golf world on notice, and will surely be one of the favorites at Augusta in less than a month.

He wasn’t the only one to gain a few fans on Monday however, as Lahiri was nothing short of class after falling short. And, to take a little sting out of the whole week, he won more than $2 million.

Valspar: Thursday tee times | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

That’ll do.

This week on the Twilight 9 podcast, Andy Nesbitt and I recap the long week at the Players Championship. Andy was there for most of the week and tells his favorite moments from on the ground.

We then dive into a Valspar Championship preview, including a few of our favorite picks for the week.

Follow the Twilight 9 Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Highlights include:

Andy fell in love with Cameron Smith: 0:36
Wind mayhem on 17: 17:00
Berger’s drop incident: 27:25
Valspar preview: 39:00
Picks for the week: 45:00

Follow the guys on Twitter: Riley | Andy

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Why Anirban Lahiri’s post-round news conference was only second to Cameron Smith’s putting at the Players Championship

The 322nd-ranked player in the world knows how close he was to a life-changing victory.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Anirban Lahiri gave it his all.

After shooting 3-under 69 in the final round of the Players Championship and finishing one shot back of champion Cameron Smith, Lahiri was asked whether he took positives from the week or if his close-but-no-cigar performance filled him only with disappointment.

“Hang on, hang on. Now that you’ve asked me that question I’ve got to show you something. This is something I sent my coach a few weeks ago. Here it is. No, not this one. Give me a minute,” said Lahiri as he found the proper image on his smart phone. “This is from two weeks ago, February 25 screenshot. Honda Classic week. Strokes Gained: Off the tee 29th, Around the green 4th, Putting 15th, 144th Approach to green.”

That last number made him sick to his stomach. He entered the week ranked 212 in Strokes Gained: Approach to the green.

“My only goal coming in was to change that, and I did. It was a very successful week,” said Lahiri, who ranked 13th in that category for the week, gaining more than four strokes on the field at the Players.

“His turnaround this week is as extraordinary as the week on the greens that Cameron Smith had,” Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee said. “I don’t know that I’ve seen a transformation like that.”

Players: Leaderboard | Winner’s bag | Money list

A successful week, indeed, for the 322nd-ranked player in the world, but Lahiri also knows how close he was to a life-changing victory.

“I want to win. I’ve been here seven years. Haven’t gotten over the line yet. That’s definitely a monkey I want to get off my back,” he said. “Today was as good an opportunity as any.”

Lahiri let us into his heart and shared the hardships of grinding to get better but not seeing the results.

2022 Players Championship
Anirban Lahiri reacts as after missing a chip to force a playoff at the 2022 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)

“When you go through such a lean period for such a long time, you start asking yourself, ‘Man, was that a flash in the pan? What are you doing? You haven’t played good in so long.’ Your belief takes a hit, so this for me is – I’m going to re-cement the foundation and work upwards from here.”

And he also gave a window into what he was feeling as he came down the stretch with a chance to win at TPC Sawgrass.

“I guess at one point on 16 I thought it was kind of out of reach, but then again, birdieing 17, Cam kind of opened the door,” he said. “But I gave it a good go. Made some mistakes today that I could have avoided, but that’s golf. I picked up a few shots, too, so I’m happy.

“This is a really positive week for me going forward.”

After several years of battling to keep his card, he was asked if this result would free him up for the rest of the season?

“I don’t know about that,” he said. “I’ll answer that in week. It’s too soon.”

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Cameron Smith wins 2022 Players Championship with Monday finish at TPC Sawgrass

An early ace, rules drama, rain shower and compelling golf all made the Players’ Monday finish worth the wait.

An early ace, rules drama, another rain shower and compelling golf all made the Monday finish at the 2022 Players Championship well worth the wait.

A field of the PGA Tour’s best finally put to bed a wild, weather-filled week at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where Cameron Smith claimed the Tour’s flagship event at 13-under.

After finishing his third round in the morning, the 28-year-old shot a 6-under 66 in the final round to hold off Paul Casey and 54-hole leader Anirban Lahiri, Kevin Kisner and Keegan Bradley. For his efforts, Smith will take home the $20 million event’s top-prize of $3.6 million.

Players: Leaderboard | Best photos

The win is Smith’s fifth on Tour and second of the year following his victory at January’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. The Aussie also has two DP World Tour titles under his belt with the 2017 and 2018 Australian PGA Championships.

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Players Championship: Third round finally ends with Anirban Lahiri atop the leaderboard at sun-lit TPC Sawgrass

“I’m just trying to stay in the moment and just do what I need to do next,” said Lahiri.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – And on the fifth day, the final round of the Players Championship will begin.

With various storms pushing the PGA Tour’s flagship event into a Monday finish – we hope – the third round was completed at 10:55 a.m. ET, 19 hours and 39 minutes after it began.

At the top of the leaderboard was India’s Anirban Lahiri, who is ranked No. 322 in the world and looking for his first PGA Tour title. He completed a third-round, 5-under 67 to move to 9 under through 54 holes.

“I got off to a really good start yesterday, kept the momentum going, and came back out this morning,” he said. “I’m happy with the way I finished and just looking forward to the rest of the day.

“There’s not much to get too far ahead of yourself. I’m just trying to stay in the moment and just do what I need to do next.”

Players: Leaderboard | How to watch Monday | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+

The final round began at 11 a.m. ET, with the leaders scheduled to go off at 1:01 p.m. ET. Threesomes will go off both the first and 10th tees.

There were 14 players within three shots of the lead heading into the final round. A shot back in second place was Sebastian Munoz (65), Doug Ghim (68), Paul Casey (69) and Sam Burns (71).

Plenty of fireworks exploded across the sun-drenched Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, the biggest was an ace from 219 yards on the 8th by Viktor Hovland, who hit 4-iron. He shot 68 to move to 4 under through 54 holes.

It was his second on the PGA Tour, the eighth on the hole since 1983. But there was little time for celebration.

“If I would have made the putt on 9 (on his last hole), as well, to get to 5, I would have felt a lot better,” he said. “But I’ve been playing really well the whole week. I just haven’t really been able to capitalize on any putts. Maybe if I get a few putts going early and maybe it starts blowing in the afternoon and gets a little shaky, then maybe (I can contend), but got a lot of work to do.”

Munoz polished off a bogey-free 65 with his seventh birdie of the round coming on the last. Kevin Streelman made six birdies in his last 11 holes over two days to get back into the tournament at 6 under with a 66.

“I could have made one more putt, but I mean, I’m really happy where I am,” Munoz said.

Said Streelman: “Clearly it’s soft right now, which allows the fairways to get a little wider. Also allows the greens obviously to get a little softer. We’re able to maybe fire at a few more pins than we would otherwise, and we’re all ready to get out of here, too, so the better you play, the quicker you play.”

The players are playing the ball down after being able to lift, clean and place in earlier rounds. While some players were expecting mud balls Monday morning, there were few and they were far between.

“The course is in fantastic shape for all it’s been through in the last five days,” said Kevin Kisner, who shot 68 to move to 6 under. “I think it’s totally fair to play the ball down these last two rounds. Greens are still super receptive. I don’t know if they’re going to be able to get out and do anything to them between rounds, which I doubt, but there will be some low scores this afternoon, I imagine.”

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