Lahiri targets Olympic spot: ‘I can’t cry about it, it’s up to me’

ANIRBAN LAHIRI, a former World No. 33 and one of India’s top golfers, has had many reasons to be content with his move away from theprofessionaltourstothesaudi-backedupstart LIV Golf tour. Financial security, fixed schedule, and ‘work-life balance’ are some.

However, the move is now coming in the way of his next goal – to represent India at the Olympics again.

Sinceplayingonthelivtourdoesnotgrant worldrankingpoints,lahiri,whomovedaway from competing on the PGA Tour in the US to Livin2022,onlyhasanoutsidechancetobeon the flight to Paris in the summer. Only 60 players will make it to the Olympics golf event decided by the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) based on world rankings. The top 15 players (maximum of four per country) receive automatic entry, and outside the top 15, a maximum of two players per country that does not alreadyhavetwoormoreplayersinthetop15, willmakethecut.asthingsstand,shubhankar Sharma(worldno.188)andgaganjeetbhullar (248) will represent India.

Inordertosqueezeintotheolympicsreckoning, Lahiri, who is currently 401st in the world, will have to make do with the few opportunitieshehas.thebiggestonepresentsitself at the Hero Indian Open in Gurugram this week, where he has been given approval by the DP World Tour to play in the country’s national open. “Not much for me to look forward to(aheadoftheolympics),unfortunately.iwill be trying my best to make it. It’s a big motivating factor for me, I would love to go to Paris,” Lahiritoldapressconferencehereontuesday.

“Whether I play well or not (on the LIV Tour) does not reflect in the world rankings. That’s how it is, I have to do the best within whatever opportunities I have and that’s on me,ican’treallycryaboutit.whenitgetsfixed, how it gets fixed, does it need to get fixed – these are all questions for a different time.”

“There’s no point in speculation. It is what it is, and within that framework, you have to find a way to qualify. It might be a situation where a lot of really good golfers that could play for their countries don’t make it to Paris, andmaybethatiswhatisneededfortheworld to wake up and say ‘we need to do something.’ Therearemanywaystolookatit,”lahiriadded.

Despitethehiccupinhispushtomakeitto Paris, Lahiri asserted he had no regrets about the move to LIV.