Lahiri becomes first Indian to sign up with rebel Liv Golf Tour

Lahiri becomes the first Indian and the first Asian to sign up with Liv Golf. Viraj Madappa played in the opening event after qualifying through an International Series event in Asia.

Boston:Anirban Lahiri has become the first Indian to join the LIV Golf Tour and is set to make his debut on the rebel tour with the event in Boston this week. Lahiri could not be contacted on his big switch to Liv from PGA Tour but is said to be in the field of 48 players to be announced late on Tuesday evening here.

Lahiri becomes the first Indian and the first Asian to sign up with Liv Golf. Viraj Madappa played in the opening event after qualifying through an International Series event in Asia. The latest list of joinees on Liv Tour include The Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia, Chile's Joaquin Niemann and Americans Harold Varner and Cameron Tringale.

The financial details of Lahiri's Liv contract are not known yet. However, the figure being floated around in Smith's case is around USD 140m. Almost all the 48 players are expected to tee up at this week's LIV Golf event here. The PGA Tour is expected to take action against them, which would bar them from playing its events. Lahiri has been playing on the PGA Tour since 2015-16. He has however not won on the PGA Tour, but finished second at the Players Championships behind Smith.

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Though Smith is the biggest catch for Liv, the signing up of Lahiri according to sources in Boston, seems to have been done with eye on the growing Asian golf market. Liv is also backing Asian Tour, which is where Lahiri came from and is a former Asian Tour No. 1.

World number two Smith has been the most talked about inductee into the Liv Golf. He won the Open in July and also played the PGA FedEx Cup playoffs. Niemann also played at the FedEx Cup playoffs. Only Tringale has issued a letter on social media, while Smith has remained tight-lipped as have the others including Lahiri.

LIV Golf Series has been putting up record USD 25 million purses with a 54-hole format and no cut. The purse includes USD 5 million set aside for a team event within the format. Some big names part of the series include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter. Others include South African Branden Grace, who won the Liv Golf Invitational in Portland, Charl Schwartzel, also a winner on Liv Golf, Louis Oosthuizen and Mexico's Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz.

PTI