Lahiri hints at bringing Crushers to India next year

Bengaluru: For someone who has been competing on innumerable golf courses across the globe for more than a decade, Anirban Lahiri never forgets to commit a piece of his heart to where it all began. 

Always a big exponent of growing the sport in India and to actively contribute to its development, the 37-year-old, since moving to LIV Golf in 2002 from PGA Tour, has been working towards getting one of its events to the country. And the Bengaluru golfer said that the possibility of it turning into reality is as close as 2026. 

“We are progressing, I will say we are trying very hard to have a LIV event here in India in 2026,” Lahiri told DH. “More so, I’m very close to potentially bringing the Crushers to India at some point of time next year. I can’t say more,” he laughs. 

The Crushers GC -- led by USA’s Bryson DeChambeau along with England’s Paul Casey, USA’s Charles Howell III and Lahiri himself -- won the 2023 team championships but failed to defend that title this season though they managed to notch up three team wins. 

“There should be some exciting news about this before the end of year when we will have a clearer picture,” added Lahiri, who was the special guest on the final day of the IGU Rotary Bio-Gen Southern India Amateur Golf Championship here. 

“Bryson’s very keen to come here. So are Paul, Charles and a lot of other LIV golfers who are eager to experience India. Even if it isn’t a LIV event, we will be here in some form or the other, sooner or later next year.”

If bringing a world-class event to the country is one among his many visions, Lahiri along with his long-time coach Vijay Divecha are on the lookout for youngsters to support and nurture the next set of top golfers through the ‘Baan Foundation’ which was formed in January this year. 

For the same reason, Lahiri and team want to begin by targeting tier-2 cities or towns where golf has been ignored to make India a golfing hub. Mentorship to guide youngsters, among several other objectives, is one of its main aspects, he says. 

While there are more Indians than ever competing at the most prestigious Tour’s in both the  men’s and women’s categories, the cut to make a PGA/ LPGA card remains somewhat elusive with Lahiri and Aditi Ashok being the lone ones for some years now. This is where, offers Lahiri, mentorship plays an important role.

“Because the barriers are mostly mental. Building that belief in oneself of achieving big things also takes work. Even for me, it took time and sometimes I needed encouragement from people like Arjun (Atwal) and Daniel Chopra to get me going. I call it the ‘borrowed belief’. That’s what I’m here to give for the next gen of golfers from the country.” 

On Friday, the golfer, walking on the course as a spectator, was particularly impressed with the quality of golf on display at the amateur event at the Karnataka Golf Association.   

“I was a junior in 2004 and it’s 2024 now. The game of golf in India has moved ahead so rapidly. Back then, the winning scores were 4-under or 6-under and there were not more than 5-6 players who went under par. But look at the leaderboard today, if one has played 6 or 7-under you aren’t even in the top-10. To see the depth in the scoring is heartening.”