Lahiri clinched the title in 2014, for a maiden victory away from Indian soil. He then followed that up with victory in the Venetian Macau Open in the same season, before winning the Maybank Malaysian Open and the Asian Tour Order of Merit the following season.

The 36-year-old, who has secured his spot in the LIV Golf League next year following a solid year in Crushers GC colours, also finished runner-up in the 2022 edition of the event, four shots behind Thai star Sarit Suwannarut, and he aims to go one better this week.

Anirban Lahiri pictured on 15 November, 2022, during the pro-am at the BNI Indonesia Masters, presented by Tunas Niaga Energi at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club, Jakarta, Indonesia

“It’s always fun to be back here, I really enjoy coming back. I enjoy this golf course. I think it sets up nice for me and I’ve done well over the years and yeah, it’s always fun to come here,” said Lahiri.

“Over the years, Indonesia was one of my favourite stops when I was playing on the Asian Tour because there was a massive Indian expat community. There still is but I remember coming here in my early days, 2008, 2009, 2010 and there would be a massive community of Indians, we would go to their homes for dinner and it felt like a little piece of home away from home. I’m going back 15 or 16 years and ever since then, it was like a love affair just to come here and enjoy the hospitality.”

Lahiri hopes to get the W he feels his form merits this week. His final-day seven-under in Miami last month was instrumental in Crushers GC winning the season-ending team tournament.

He said: “I’ve been playing really well but haven’t had a win to show for it. So, that’s going be the focus this week – to just keep doing what I’m doing because obviously I’m doing some things right but come Sunday, try and get into the same mindset that I found in Miami (LIV Golf Team Championship Miami) week and stay locked in and hopefully get over the line.

“Royale Jakarta in 2014 was my first international win outside of India and even before that, I had contended here and even since I’ve come close, on numerous occasions, so obviously, I enjoy playing here and looking forward to going one better than last year.”

The BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE is the final event on the 2023 International Series schedule, and a last chance for the players to secure crucial positions on the Order of Merit which could potentially secure entry into the LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi come December.

“When you look at the last stretch, these three events can be significant in determining who wins it. Well, obviously, Andy’s (Andy Ogletree) run away with it, but there is still the opportunity to get on the LIV Golf Promotions event. Just the fact that you’re going to be playing in a quality field with a lot of us here. You’re playing for you know, one a half, two million dollars, sometimes more. I think it’s phenomenal!”

Lahiri is joined in the field by International Series Order of Merit champion Ogletree, reigning Indonesian Masters winner Sarit, 2010 US Open winner Graeme McDowell and 2018 Masters victor Patrick Reed.

Images: Asian Tour

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Fuelled by Anirban Lahiri’s spectacular bogey-free round, steady play by Charles Howell III and Paul Casey, and a riveting back-nine performance from their captain DeChambeau, Crushers won the all-scores-count shootout by two shots over RangeGoats. Torque finished third, while defending champions 4 Aces settled for fourth.

Last year, the Crushers did not reach the Team Championship final, as they were knocked out in the match-play semi-finals. But the team started the new season with a bang, winning in Mayakoba on the strength of Howell’s individual victory.

DeChambeau found his form in mid-season and won two individual titles, with the Crushers winning again in Chicago. They completed the journey to the top at Trump National Doral, shooting a combined 11-under.

“Last year really left a sour taste in our mouth,” DeChambeau said as he celebrated with his teammates on the 18th green of the iconic Blue Monster course. “I can’t be happier with this team of mine. I don’t know what else to say. I’m at a loss of words right now. These guys are the best.”

Lahiri was the team’s top performer on Sunday, shooting a seven-under 65 that included consecutive hole-outs at the par-4 seventh (for birdie) and par-5 eighth (for eagle). It was a terrific effort for a player who had come so close to winning an individual title in 2023 with two runner-up finishes and another podium result.

“I had a couple of Sundays where I let myself down,” Lahiri said. “But I wasn’t going to let the team down today.”

DeChambeau was three-under at the turn, then birdied the 10th and 11th holes before suffering his first bogey at the 12th to start his roller-coaster back-nine. He then birdied the 13th from 36 feet, bogeyed the 14th, then birdied the 15th from 35 feet. But the most dramatic moment came at the drivable par-4 16th, with the Crushers’ lead reduced to one stroke. DeChambeau’s tee shot hit the top of the Birdie Shack grandstand behind the green and finished on the front edge of the second green.

Facing a blind shot from 109 yards, DeChambeau hit a wedge back over the grandstand and on to the 16th green, then made the birdie putt to increase the Crushers’ lead to two.

“My drop zone, I was going to drop in a sidehill lie out of the rough over palm trees. It was just not feasible,” DeChambeau explained. “I got a perfect lie in front of the green on 2. I was like, it’s a 109-shot, whatever, let’s go. And hit it to 20 feet and made an incredible putt.”

Moments later, Casey followed with a clutch six-foot par putt on his final hole while the RangeGoats’ Thomas Pieters missed his from similar distance.

When the RangeGoats’ 2023 Individual Champion Talor Gooch bogeyed the 18th after finding the water with his tee shot, the Crushers had enough cushion to absorb DeChambeau’s bogey and RangeGoats captain Bubba Watson’s birdie on the 18th.

DeChambeau finished with a five-under 67, while Howell shot even-par 72 and Casey a 73.

Bryson DeChambeau. LIV Golf

“I thought this year would be special,” said Howell. “We started off with a win. Obviously, Baan [Lahiri] and Bryson have played phenomenal golf here recently.”

Although the RangeGoats came up short, Watson — who shot a bogey-free 67 — was proud of his team’s effort.

“The RangeGoats came out of nowhere,” Watson said. “We played great. We’ve got to improve a little bit. But gosh, finished second for the year. What a great place.”

As for DeChambeau, winning the Team Championship helps to make up for the disappointment in the regular-season finale in Jeddah when he came up short of capturing the Individual Champion title.

“Any time you get a win with a team, I’d say honestly that’s more important than individual stuff,” DeChambeau said. “Look, majors are great but there’s a team behind you there. I’ve got a team, my own team.

“But having the Crushers be front and centre of the first inaugural full season just means the world. We are part of history, and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and definitely takes the sting out of last week. But the team is what it’s all about, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS

For Sunday’s Finals, all 48 players among the 12 teams competed in one round of stroke play, with all four players’ scores counting toward their team’s score. The four semifinal winners competed for places 1-4, with the teams defeated in the semifinals competing for places 5-8. The teams defeated in Friday’s quarterfinals competed for places 9-12. Of the prize money earned by each team, 60% goes to the team, with 10% going to each of the four participating players.

TIER 1

1. CRUSHERS (-11). Anirban Lahiri 65, Bryson DeChambeau 67, Charles Howell III 72, Paul Casey 73. Prize money: $14,000,000

2. RANGEGOATS (-9). Bubba Watson 67, Talor Gooch 70, Thomas Pieters 70, Harold Varner III 72. Prize money: $8,000,000

3. TORQUE (-6). Joaquin Niemann 66, David Puig 71, Sebastián Muñoz 72, Mito Pereira 73. Prize money: $6,000,000

4. 4ACES (E). Peter Uihlein 69, Patrick Reed 71, Pat Perez 73, Dustin Johnson 75. Prize money: $4,000,000

TIER 2

5. STINGER (-7). Dean Burmester 67, Branden Grace 67, Charl Schwartzel 73, Louis Oosthuizen 74. Prize money: $3,250,000

6. FIREBALLS (-4). Carlos Ortiz 64, Eugenio Chacarra 73, Sergio Garcia 73, Abraham Ancer 74. Prize money: $3,000,000

7. CLEEKS (+4). Martin Kaymer 72, Bernd Wiesberger 72, Richard Bland 74, Graeme McDowell 74. Prize money: $2,750,000

8. HYFLYERS (+5). Cameron Tringale 70, Brendan Steele 71, Phil Mickelson 72, James Piot 80. Prize money: $2,500,000

TIER 3

9. RIPPER (-5). Matt Jones 66, Jediah Morgan 71, Marc Leishman 73, Cameron Smith 73. Prize money: $2,000,000

10. SMASH (E). Jason Kokrak 69, Brooks Koepka 70, Matthew Wolff 72, Chase Koepka 77. Prize money: $1,750,000

11. MAJESTICKS (+4). Henrik Stenson 69, Ian Poulter 72, Lee Westwood 74, Sam Horsfield 77. Prize money: $1,500,000

12. IRON HEADS (+5). Scott Vincent 70, Danny Lee 71, Kevin Na 73, Sihwan Kim 79. Prize money: $1,250,000

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They will join last year’s Open Championship winner and Gooch’s fellow LIV Individual Champion front-runner Cameron Smith, two-time Hong Kong Open victor Wade Ormsby, and local hero Taichi Kho — winner of March’s World City Championship.

The world’s top golfers are making the trip to Fanling drawn by the Hong Kong Open’s history, its new status as an event on The International Series — 10 elite-level tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour, providing a pathway to the LIV Golf League — and its purse of $2 million.

The 31-year-old Gooch is making his Hong Kong Open debut in record-breaking form, having won three times already this season on LIV Golf — in Adelaide, Singapore and Andalucía — becoming the first-ever player to achieve that feat on the fledgling global circuit.

“I am excited to be making my debut appearance at the Hong Kong Open in 2023. I have heard a lot about the city and the Hong Kong Golf Club from other players, and I look forward to playing in front of the knowledgeable galleries in Fanling,” said Gooch.

“Last year I didn’t get a win, so this year I was just so focused on getting an individual win. You don’t think much past the first one until you get it. I definitely didn’t have three in mind for the season, but it’s cool to be here.”

Cameron Smith. LIV Golf

Gooch and Smith are two of the three LIV Golf stars in contention, along with American Bryson DeChambeau, for the 2023 LIV Golf Individual Champion crown to be decided at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on October 13-15.

A top-10 finish for Gooch at the LIV Golf Chicago has him in contention for the individual title on 162 points in the individual standings, eight behind Smith’s leading 170.

Another confirmed star for the Hong Kong Open, Lahiri, performed even better in Chicago, finishing tied for second in what was his third top-10 finish this season.

The 36-year-old is no stranger to Fanling, with seven Asian Tour titles to his name, he has a best finish of tied for seventh at the Hong Kong Open back in 2015.

Lahiri will also be familiar with fellow headliner Smith, having finished as runner-up to the young Australian at The Players Championship in 2022.

Chacarra is ranked eighth in The International Series Order of Merit standings. The Spanish star turned pro in 2022 to join the LIV Golf League and struck gold on his fifth ever event winning the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok.

His debut non-LIV Golf win came on The International Series at the Asian Tour’s inaugural St Andrew’s Bay Championships in August, when he defeated Matt Jones in a 10-hole playoff, the longest in Asian Tour history.

Main image: Talor Gooch. Asian Tour

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But Sunday’s win came at the expense of one of his teammates, Anirban Lahiri, who was seeking his first victory in eight years. Lahiri, who held the lead for most of the day after overtaking 36-hole leader Sebastián Muñoz, missed a par putt on the 18th hole that would’ve forced a playoff with DeChambeau.

“To be honest with you, I was actually sad,” said DeChambeau, who was watching from just off the green. “I really wanted him to make that so we could go battle it off in a playoff and finish it off the right way. That was the first emotion that I had.

“Secondly, you’ve got people coming over and congratulating you, and it’s just like: ‘Oh, I really didn’t feel like I won. This isn’t the normal feeling I usually have when you win a tournament.’ It was definitely a huge mix of emotions.”

DeChambeau, who started the day eight strokes off the lead, finished at 13-under while Lahiri and Ripper’s Marc Leishman tied for second at 12-under. Leishman, who shot 66, took second-place points via the better final-round score than Lahiri, who shot 69.

DeChambeau and Lahiri did celebrate the team victory together, as the Crushers shot a 15-under counting score on Sunday to finish at 33-under, three strokes ahead of Fireballs. Along with DeChambeau’s 63, Charles Howell III (67) and Paul Casey (68) contributed counting scores. Fireballs took second while league-leading 4 Aces claimed third via tiebreaker over RangeGoats.

The victory is the second this season for the Crushers, who moved into second place in the team standings with one regular-season tournament left next month in Jeddah. The top four teams in the standings after that event will receive byes going into the Team Championship in Miami.

“This is why I love what we’re doing,” Casey said. “It’s the individual and the team element, and the individual element is rewarding to a certain level, and the team element is rewarding to a whole other level. They’re different. You can’t compare them but boy, does it feel good to play good with these guys.”

Lahiri’s tie for second on the traditional leaderboard is his seventh runner-up finish in all his starts since joining LIV Golf last year. He was seeking his first victory since a pair of wins in February 2015.

He was a bogey-free four-under on his round through 14 holes, but he three-putted the 15th and 18th holes and admitted afterward that, “I played really bad, to be honest. I was fighting my swing the whole day.”

Meanwhile, DeChambeau birdied seven of his last 12 holes as his putter heated up. His lengthy putt at 12 left him in disbelief, as he continued to move up the leaderboard.

“I just kept trying to hit as many fairways as I could and hit the irons close and make some putts,” DeChambeau said. “That’s ultimately just kind of what happens when I get on a roll. It just doesn’t stop. Kind of like, uh-oh, here comes the train.”

Lahiri knew his captain was playing well, as the Crushers had moved up the team leaderboard. While the team element remains a vital part of the LIV Golf competition, he knows the individual trophy remains the primary objective.

“I think all four of us would agree that you’re trying to win the tournament outright first,” Lahiri said. “At least that’s how I look at it. Anyone else who says otherwise is lying. But the team win was something that we all knew we needed to pull off, and we knew we should pull off.”

As much as DeChambeau was elated about his own performance, he was also respectful of his teammate’s disappointment.

“It’s one of those things you never want to see a teammate go through,” DeChambeau said. “But it is what it is, and I think he’s learned a lot, obviously. … Your time is coming.”

On Sunday, it was DeChambeau’s time, and he now moves to third in the individual standings, giving him a chance for the outright title next month in Jeddah along with No. 1 Cameron Smith and No. 2 Talor Gooch.

Main image: LIV Golf

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With his final-round 58 on Sunday at The Greenbrier, Bryson DeChambeau created the best possible content LIV could have asked for. A few days before that, though, he created an even better bit of content with the ultimate content king in golf, Phil Mickelson.

DeChambeau, who has always been part pro golfer, part long-drive competitor and part YouTube star, among other things, challenged Lefty to a nine-hole match during a practice round at The Old White and had the cameras rolling the whole time. The result, unsurprisingly, was a highly entertaining match featuring plenty of risks, great golf shots, and trash talking, all of it cut down into a 40-minute video you can watch on-demand at your leisure.

Below are some of our favourite highlights from this Bryson (and Anirban Lahiri) v Phil (and Cameron Tringale) duel.

The Terms

Let’s just say Mickelson has done this a few times before, which is why him listing the terms for the match is akin to a waiter at a five-star restaurant listing off every ingredient in each of the specials based off memory alone. One does not simply play a “fun” nine holes with Lefty for some YouTube content. There has to be something on the line, something to get the competitive juices flowing:

The Bryson v Phil match has dropped on YouTube and Phil gets straight into what matters:

“What’s up man?”

“So, what are we playing for?”

This isn’t Phil’s first rodeo ?

This is an awesome watch! https://t.co/jZ37ilRexL pic.twitter.com/BMzViYQLoM

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) August 8, 2023

For those confused, Mickelson set up a two-man best ball match for $1,000. “Press for half” means that the team who gets closed out (loses the match with a hole or two, or more left), can start a new match to cut into their losses. If they win that new match, they only pay $500. If they lose, they still pay the original $1,000. The “not the full?” , “Not the full” bit meant that Bryson was asking if you could completely clear the debt by winning the press, to which Mickelson said absolutely not. A fun little addition from Mickelson at the end, for added juice, was that if one of the teams shoots a best-ball 28, the prize doubles to $2,000. “I always max it at that, to keep it friendly,” Mickelson says in the most rich-guy statement ever.

The Production Value

Say what you want about Bryson, but the man, and his team, knows how to do content in 2023, hence the 356K YouTube subscribers. Plenty of cameras out there to capture every shot and, even better, the pre- and post-shot stuff. A moment at around the 7:25 mark features Mickelson quickly going through his pre-shot discussion with his caddie and brother Tim. “Stock 9 is probably a little much, so it’s right between Pelz and stock,” says Lefty. “Stock” is a full 9 iron, while “Pelz” is Mickelson’s low-launch, low-spin shot, which he’s explained before. “Maybe just add the Pelz? I’m in a tiny old divot so it’s sitting down just a bit, so it’ll be a little shorter. So, we’re closer to stock cut.” This is the type of stuff golf fans live for and we so rarely get on a normal broadcast. Add in the great use of shot tracer, the little red and blue circles showing where the ball is landing on tee shots, graphics that are clean and easy to read and follow what’s happening, and the drone to do flyovers before each hole, and that’s really all it takes to make a very quality, watchable product.

Imagine we could hear tee-box conversations like this all the time?

Bryson tells Phil about his new Krank Golf Driver. DeChambeau ended up having a historic week with the big stick.

Watch the full match on YouTube. pic.twitter.com/BnCOLmwBZT

— LIV Golf Nation (@LIVGolfNation) August 7, 2023

About three minutes after this, DeChambeau was walking to the second green and started talking into the camera. “Little amped up right now, hitting it good, driver’s going well. I’m excited man.” We all know what happened next. Cool to see him more or less call his shot a few days earlier.

The Trash Talk

Generally speaking, tour pros — Mickelson included — are terrible at on-camera, forced trash talk. While each edition of The Match has had its moments, you can tell the guys can’t be their off-camera, natural, behind-the-scenes selves. Somehow, though, DeChambeau’s team is able to create an environment where these guys can feel relaxed and fire away. Even something as simple as leaving in the cursing, but bleeping it out, gives it a “OK, this is a real, unscripted thing that’s happening here.” That’s how these guys talk, and trying to hide it or acting like they are all perfect gentlemen is just plain silly and insulting to the viewer.

A match for the ages… Bryson vs Phil is now live on YouTube… ?https://t.co/R4HGZmFtd0 pic.twitter.com/2WOp1F7ljW

— Crushers GC (@Crushers_GC) August 7, 2023

Not long after these drives, Mickelson poured in an opening birdie that he said was going to go in well before even addressing it. “I’m going to play it three inches outside the hole, let it feed in there and get a quick 1-up lead.” Bang. “That feels so good, taking a 1-up lead on them.” Rub it in, baby.

The Golf Shots

When you’re only following four guys, it’s easy to capture every shot, though that somehow still proves difficult to do on certain weeks for certain networks. In this format, you see them all and, obviously, a lot of them are good. Anirban’s near ace at No. 3 was a top highlight, as was him correcting Bryson after Bryson hit a “183-184 shot.” “I was going to say,” Lahiri says, “it’s a 178 shot.” Would have been nice to know before hitting it, partner.”

And then there’s king of the sauce, Mickelson, at No. 6:

The Phil-Bryson video is legitimately awesome, and this was, I think pretty easily, my favorite part. pic.twitter.com/iIvJrOH8k7

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) August 8, 2023

“Did it miss? Shoot.” Class.

The Nicknames

Not too much to say here other than there is nothing like a quality nickname. “Camo” for Cameron Tringale makes Cameron Tringale seem way cooler than he is (no offense). “Ban” is a Golf Twitter favourite for Anirban Lahiri. “B” for Bryson is hilariously lazy but I kind of love it. It’s no “Mad Scientist” or “Incredible Bulk,” but those are too long to actually call someone to their face anyway. As for Mickelson, well, he has too many nicknames to count.

The Finale

SPOILERS ahead … Although, did you really think the match was going to end any other way than with Mickelson and Tringale not only winning, but shooting the 28 they needed to double the prize? Anybody who sets the terms in the manner in which Mickelson set them is a lock to win.

Check out the full video of the match below.

The post ‘We’ll play nine holes for a G’: The best highlights from the LIV Golf Bryson DeChambeau v Phil Mickelson match appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

All this and much, much more in the August 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East available in both English and Arabic.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

See below for the seventh issue of the Arabic edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

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For those out there who feel like giving up after that eagle chance lipped out or it took seven swipes to get out of a greenside bunker, look no further than Anirban Lahiri to inspire you to dust yourself down and give it another go.

The 36-year-old Indian, a seven-time champion on the Asian Tour, has had an impressive season so far in the face of adversity, helping his Crushers team take the top spot in the LIV Golf League 2023 opener at Mayakoba, before bouncing back from a disappointing showing at Tuscon with a runners-up spot at the International Series Vietnam behind Kieran Vincent and then matched that result at LIV Golf Adelaide in April, after starting the final round 11 shots behind eventual champion Talor Gooch.

“There have been some amazing strides on the Asian Tour,” Lahiri told Gold Digest Middle East. “I just missed out in Vietnam on the International Series and it is great getting to travel to all these places on the Asian Tour and also on LIV, with the likes of Singapore and Australia on the schedule.

Lahiri has had little time to relax as he is now gearing up for the International Series ‘UK Swing’, as well as having squeezed in LIV Golf events at Valderrama and a return to Centurion Club near London. 

“We are going back to England on both the Asian Tour and LIV Golf League, and then we have the wonderful bonus of heading to Scotland and St Andrews to play the Fairmont on the International Series, too, before we finish up back in Jeddah for the LIV Golf finale, where this journey all began really with the elevated PIF Saudi International joining the Asian Tour and really reinvigorating the tour.

“You couldn’t ask for more. We were in a rut with Covid, but thanks to LIV Golf Investments, the Asian Tour could not be in a stronger position, and then there is the added incentive of playing your way on to the LIV Golf League for 2024, with the Asian Order of Merit winner booking an automatic spot, while the next 30 or so go into a playoff for the remaining spots.” 

Lahiri is also loving the team bonding on the LIV tour, as he plays alongside Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III for the Crushers, who are fifth in the season-long team standings at the halfway stage, with the highlights being a win, a third and two fourth-place finishes. 

“LIV Golf is amazing, there is a real unity in the team with Casey and Bryson each bringing their own ideas and experience to the table, while Charles has been playing phenomenal golf with that win in Mayakoba to open the season and get us the double,” Lahiri said.

That team unity was something Lahiri leaned on — along with family support and his own resilience — as tragedy struck during that period in Adelaide.

Lahiri shot 66 and 65 over the weekend at The Grange, matching his 13-under par show (67-64) over the final two rounds at the International Series Vietnam the week before. At KN Links as well, he came close, falling one short of winner Vincent.

The two performances came after a couple of tumultuous weeks for the family, which saw him reach Vietnam without playing golf for a fortnight.

Lahiri was preparing for the LIV Golf event in Orlando when he got a call from India that his mother-in-law, battling cancer, had to be rushed to hospital after she took a turn for the worse. He immediately flew back to Pune to be by her side with his family before heading to Vietnam for the International Series event two weeks later. While there he heard the news she had been moved to palliative care.

In Adelaide on Sunday, moments after finished his round of 65, Lahiri discovered his mother-in-law passed away during the round.

“The last few weeks have been tough for the family. Mom was in a lot of pain the last few days. So, we’re just relieved that she is probably at peace and she’s in a better place now,” Lahiri said at the time.

“It’s hard to wrap your head around a lot of this. So just trying to process it right now. It breaks my heart not to be there with my wife Ipsa and my children. I’m here in Adelaide, but mentally and in spirit, with them. I guess these are some of the professional hazards that we have to deal with, and I am so very proud of my wife.”

Unable to return for the funeral, Lahiri instead poured his emotions into his golf and remained on tour for the LIV event in Singapore. Remarkably, he finished inside the top 20.

Doug Defelice/LIV Golf

Lahiri said his run of form was due to gaining a new perspective in life, and taking that to the course.

“I did not have any expectations when I reached Vietnam. The family was going through a very challenging phase. We were just taking it one day at a time,” he told the LIV Golf website.

“I was forced to hit the refresh button. You have to still look at the positives and try to receive the messages that the universe is sending. What happened the last few weeks made me kind of reset and re-establish my goals, my perspectives in life.

“I think mentally I’ve managed to just get clearer, more focused, and get more involved in my processes. Honestly, I am just counting my blessings and enjoying a new perspective. Probably, I am just playing with a lot less fear and probably not trying so hard and just letting go a little bit more.

“I’ve always found that a very hard thing to do. I think all golfers find that hard. But you know, the last couple of weeks, it’s come a little easier.”

The Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015 is proud to be the only Indian on the LIV Golf roster, and is delighted to see the next generation of golfers coming through. Now at the age of 35, Lahiri is happy to help pass the torch to the likes of Shubshankar Sharma and Aditi Ashok.

“Jeev [Milkha Singh] held my hand through the Asian Tour and on DP World Tour as I was learning the ropes, and now it is my turn to help the younger players,” Lahiri said.

“Sharma has done some great things in the past decade with eight wins and is up around 60th in the world. He also had a great showing in Abu Dhabi [at the HSBC Championship] with a seventh-place finish and is showing the way for the future.

“Aditi is doing great things for the women’s game and has had some stunning results this year, with her win in Kenya followed by a third in Morocco and then a runners-up in the Aramco Saudi Ladies International behind world No. 1 Lydia Ko.

“The team events like the Aramco Team Series and LIV are really helping enhance the game on both men’s and women’s tours and it is an exciting time.”

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Anirban Lahiri has turned one of the most demanding and tragic moments of his life into a source of immense strength and inspiration.

The 35-year-old Indian, a seven-time champion on the Asian Tour, finished second on Sunday in LIV Golf’s rocking show in Adelaide after starting the final round 11 shots behind eventual champion Talor Gooch and closing the gap to two at one stage.

Lahiri shot 66 and 65 over the weekend at The Grange in Adelaide, matching his 13-under par show (67-64) over the final two rounds at the International Series Vietnam the week before. At KN Links as well, he came close, falling one short of winner Kieran Vincent.

The two performances came for the world No. 91 after a couple of tumultuous weeks for the family, which saw him reach Vietnam without touching his clubs for more than a fortnight.

Lahiri was in the US, getting ready for the LIV Golf event in Orlando when he received a call from India that his mother-in-law, battling cancer, had to be rushed to hospital after her vitals crashed. He had to pull out of the tournament and rush to Pune (near Mumbai). On Monday of the International Series Vietnam, they moved her to palliative care unit.

In Adelaide on Sunday, moments after he closed with a bogey in his 65, Lahiri switched on his phone to be notified that his mother-im-law passed away during the round.

“The last few weeks have been tough for the family. Mom was in a lot of pain the last few days. So, we’re just relieved that she is probably at peace and she’s in a better place now,” Lahiri said as he prepares for this week’s LIV event in Singapore at Sentosa.

“It’s hard to wrap your head around a lot of this. So just trying to process it right now. It breaks my heart not to be there with my wife Ipsa and my children. I’m here in Adelaide, but mentally and in spirit, with them. I guess these are some of the professional hazards that we have to deal with, and I am so very proud of my wife.

“The funeral is on Monday, so there is no way I can physically reach in time. I am planning to play Singapore, though it is hard to say that I am looking forward to it. I will then be in Pune for the post-death rituals, and probably reach Tulsa (next LIV event) later than scheduled.”

Lahiri felt that the only way he could explain his recent run of form is because of getting a new perspective in life, which has helped him play fearless golf.

“I did not have any expectations when I reached Vietnam. The family was going through a very challenging phase. We were just taking it one day at a time,” said Lahiri.

“I was forced to hit the refresh button. You have to still look at the positives and try to receive the messages that the universe is sending. What happened the last few weeks made me kind of reset and re-establish my goals, my perspectives in life.

“I think mentally I’ve managed to just get clearer, more focused, and get more involved in my processes. Honestly, I am just counting my blessings and enjoying a new perspective. Probably, I am just playing with a lot less fear and probably not trying so hard and just letting go a little bit more.

“I’ve always found that a very hard thing to do. I think all golfers find that hard. But you know, the last couple of weeks, it’s come a little easier.”

“I am happy with the way I am playing and I am happy with the way I have been swinging my clubs,” said Lahiri, the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015.

“I have played Sentosa many times, and I know one thing for sure — you can’t be going to Sentosa playing anything less than your ‘A’ game. So, hopefully, I can continue and have another good week.”

The Indian star, who had dropped out of the top 100 in the world rankings before moving to 91 following his result in Vietnam, was also hoping he had done enough to secure his place in the PGA Championship, the second major of the year starting on May 17 at Oak Hill Country Club, in Rochester.

“I have done what I possibly could. It’s out of my hands now. Hopefully, I will remain inside the top 100 when the field is determined and I get my invitation to the PGA Championship,” said Lahiri, who finished tied fifth in the 2015 edition in Whistling Straits, which remains the best-ever finish by an Indian golfer in a major championship.

The post Lahiri riding emotional roller-coaster ahead of LIV Golf Singapore appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Indian golf legend Anirban Lahiri has heaped praise on the Asian Tour and the International Series for the “phenomenal job” they are doing “accelerating the growth of golf in Asia.”

The seven-time Asian Tour winner joins his LIV Golf League teammate Paul Casey at KN Golf Links, in Cam Ranh, this week for the International Series Vietnam, in which 156 golfers from 28 nations will compete for the $2million total prize purse.

It will be the former Olympian’s second International Series event after the 35-year-old teed up, and finished runner-up, in 2022’s season-ending Indonesian Masters — an event Lahiri won in 2014, the year before he claim the Asian Tour Order of Merit title.

Lahiri said: “I think golf has always been a very big sport in Asia — it’s huge for professional golf. It is probably even bigger for tourism in terms of industry. Because of that there is infrastructure and a lot of golfers being produced.

“Now with the International Series and LIV Golf coming to Asia, growing the game here has really become one of the main agendas and bringing so many of the best golfers to play in this region is going to have a huge impact. I won’t say ‘change’ but that’s where the boost is going to come from. It’s there, it’s growing, and I think the International Series is doing a phenomenal job of accelerating that.”

With multiple wins in Asia, Lahiri can be considered an authority on golf in the world’s biggest continent, and he added: “If you ask the majority of golfers in Asia, or on this side of the world, they’re going to say: ‘I want to play on LIV,’ and now there’s a pathway to get there.

“Even outside of that, you’ve got 10 tournaments [International Series], which you’re playing for pretty much $2million every time, which is a really good prize for that many events in Asia. It’s a huge leap.”

Joined by 13 fellow Indians in the International Series Vietnam field this week, Lahiri, who was born in the city of Pune, 150km east of Mumbai, is excited to compete alongside the players he looked up to growing up, his peers as well as up-and-coming stars.

“Jeev [Milka Singh], Jyoti [Randhawa] and SSP [Chawrasia] laid the foundation before I started coming through about 15 years ago. I’m in my mid-30s but the guys coming through now are in their early 20s, so you have 30 years of age variance among those of us here this week.

“I learned a lot from the likes of Jeev and Arjun [Atwal]. I can see that same transference happening with the roles reversed to some extent and I enjoy that as well.”

Having won in India, Indonesia, Macau and Malaysia, Lahiri has his eyes set on a maiden Vietnam victory this week: “I’ve been playing well in patches and I’m just looking to put four good rounds together and get that win off my chest. It’s been a while coming and I feel like I’m close. That’s definitely the main purpose of being here. I’d love to get that W.”

The post Anirban Lahiri: International Series is accelerating growth of golf in Asia appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Come Sunday, it was old-hand Dustin Johnson who delivered when he rattled home a 35-foot eagle putt on the first extra hole to win the LIV Boston Invitational in a playoff — the first in LIV history. Maybe all it took was 55 holes to create an ending that produced that bit more excitement.

MORE: Watch highlights from the LIV Golf finale

For what it’s worth, Johnson said his competitive juices were flowing as much as any other tournament he ever played. Golf fans may find that surprising — even hard to believe — given his 24 PGA Tour victories included the 2016 US Open and 2020 Masters. But the 38-year-old said his body told him this felt like competition.

“Yeah absolutely; if not more,” Johnson said. “Especially with that [$4 million winner’s] check you get. You can feel it, you pucker up a little bit coming down the last few holes, for sure.”

Johnson, along with LIV newcomers Anirban Lahiri and Joaquin Niemann, the two other in the playoff, certainly made the product more compelling than had been the case for LIV’s London, Portland and Bedminster events. The trio each finished 54 holes at 15-under 195, Johnson shooting a Sunday 65, Lahiri a 64 and Niemann a 66. And those weren’t even the day’s low score. Lee Westwood flirted with posting a sub-60 number, needing two birdies on his final three holes to do just that. Instead, he made two bogeys and a birdie for a 62 that left him one shot out of a playoff.

But Johnson was the one who provided the biggest fireworks. Returning to the par-5 18th, the first playoff hole, he hammered an eagle putt up the hill with so much force it rammed the back of the hole, bounced up and fell in. The sudden victory gave the fledging series its first American winner.

“I felt I had a really good read on it [but] I might have hit it a little harder than I wanted,” said Johnson, who hadn’t won a tournament anywhere since the 2021 Saudi Invitational. “As soon as I hit it, I begged it to hit the hole and it did. I think the hole is dented.”

Making his LIV debut less than two months after winning the 150th Open at St Andrews, Aussie Smith also did his best to add some entertainment. The 29-year-old Australian began the third and final round five shots off the lead but rallied with a 63 to finish at 14-under and one shot out of the playoff. After missing a birdie putt on No. 2, his last hole thanks to LIV’s shotgun start format, Smith tied for fourth with Westwood.

Smith had faced criticism before teeing off this week from major winners Gary Player and Fred Couples. Couples mocked LIV’s use of 54 holes while Player remarked, “What sort of tour is that? 54 holes, no cut, a team event. It’s never going to compare to the regular tour.”

But Smith, a six-time PGA Tour winner, pointed to the fans, who didn’t seem to care about the divide in professional golf, nor the fact LIV blasts loud music during competition and now allows players to wear shorts.

“The competition here is fantastic, it’s loud and it feels like the course has a heartbeat. I love that and I can’t wait to keep going.”

LIV plays its next event outside Chicago in two weeks.

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