'My Friends Were Without A Job For Almost 18 Months' - Lahiri Praises LIV Asian Tour Investment

The 35-year-old says LIV Golf's investment in the Asian Tour couldn't have come at a better time

Anirban Lahiri takes a shot during the 2022 LIV Golf Chicago event
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Anirban Lahiri has welcomed LIV Golf’s investment in the Asian Tour, saying that the timing is perfect as the region emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Saudi-funded organisation is investing $300m in the Tour over the next decade, including the International Series, and the Indian, who is teeing it up in LIV Golf’s Asian debut at Stonehill in Bangkok this week, explained the injection of cash is much-needed. He said: “You look at where the Asian Tour was post-Covid. I know a lot of my friends who play on the Asian Tour were without a job for almost 18 months. Asia being such a strong economic region in the world, the professional golf industry hasn't quite reflected that. I think this investment into the Asian Tour is necessary, and it's timely, because there's a lot of potential.”

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Lahiri then expanded on that untapped potential in the Asian market, explaining that the knock-on effect could be significant. He said: “There's so many golfers. Golf is huge, even in terms of tourism, in terms of a lot of these countries and how the economies work. I think in so many ways, golf is integral and important to this region, and this investment is going to do a lot for right across the industry, not just for the professional golfers, also for all the affiliated industries. 

"It's also going to grow how many people watch the game, how many people come out, how many kids get exposed, how many parents say, ‘Oh, I want my son or daughter to play golf’, or, ‘I want to grow up and be like Kevin [Na], I want to grow up and be like all the guys who are here this week.’”

LIV Golf’s initial investment in the Asian Tour was announced last November, and since then, the International Series has launched, with prize money of between $1.5m and $2m in its four events so far. Not only that, but one of LIV Golf’s most high-profile players, Patrick Reed, has already competed in the International Series, with more LIV Golf players expected follow suit next year.

With LIV Golf’s plans to expand to a 14-tournament League and incorporate more events in Asia, Lahiri thinks the continued investment can only bring positive things to the continent. He said: “I think it's timely, it was necessary, and I'm very glad and grateful that it's come when it's come because I know the Asian Tour and the region needed it. I think it's fantastic and it can only get better and grow from here in every which way.”

Mike Hall
Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 


He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 


Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 


Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.