Anirban Lahiri - PB WR #33 (28-Mar-15), India #1

[VReddy]

It is an obscene amount of money made by a guy that not even 10 people buy tickets to see play golf at any of those events abroad. Neither has he sold even $10K worth of products for the companies sponsoring those events. I can't wrap my head around this at all.

Its big in sporting terms but not so much otherwise.

I know for example Software Engineers with few years of experience earn around $250k in the Bay Area: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Meta-S ... _IM759.htm. It will creep up higher and higher as one moves into managerial roles. So you are looking at each of them making around $10 million in their career (promotions, stocks, bonuses, etc,.). These are Engineers with middle level career growth.

Anirban is at the very top end of his profession and if not for Liv Tour, would have stagnated at career earnings of $15-20 million which is like 2x of any regular Bay Area Software Engineer. His expenses / lifestyle for sure, would be way way higher as a Golfer than any normal Engineer.

[jayakris]

^^^ True. There are a lot of people making obscene amounts of money that we cannot explain why they should make - when they are certainly not world's top-50 or even top-5000 in what they do! I was only comparing Anirban's earning to other top sports-persons. He makes the money he deserves, for being very good at what he does. Not belittling his achievements. My comment was more out of jealousy on Golfers, having followed and supported so many tennis players who struggle to make even 500K in their careers. Yuki, who made the top-100 for some three separate periods in his career and was a top-5 junior in the world too, has made a paltry $1.1 million in his career.

But then again many players of Anirban's age in the ATP tour top-100 have made 10M to 65M, so tennis pros aren't that far behind in making money if they got to the rankings Anirban got to.

[prajgolf]

Anirban has missed the cut at the PGA Championship.

[prajgolf]

LIV Golf Invitational Series - Washington DC

Final score:

T-29: Anirban Lahiri, -1, $182,500

[Kumar]

LIV is merging with PGA. Great decision by Lahiri to make all the money. The money may not be as plentiful as before going forward.

[Sin Hombre]

Agree with Kumar.

Anirban will never make the same money with a more competitive tour but hey he made enough for a lifetime over the past 15 months.

[Prem]

Agree with Kumar.
Anirban will never make the same money with a more competitive tour but hey he made enough for a lifetime over the past 15 months.

Actually, Anirban has played just 9 months of LIV Golf as he joined in September 2022, after the end of last seasons PGA Tour.
With the signing on fees (unknown) added and 7 events left this year, he will end up earning more than his career earnings from all tours put together…and now with the Tours merging, hopefully he can play all Tours from next season again. It’s great for Anirban although unfair on those players who stood for PGA Tour and boycotted Saudi dollars!! Not sure what happened to LIVgolf next season, if the Tours are merging. Assume there won’t be any LIV only events…

[arjun2761]

^^^^ Not sure if most of the above is accurate unless Prem is in with the Saudis.. No one in US perhaps outside of a few insiders know the structure for next year. All we have heard is there is going to be some kind of an umbrella organization under which some number of tours will operate. Clearly Saudi PIF money will go into the umbrella organization but there may still be a LIV like tour, a main PGA tour, and an European Tour with more opportunities for players to play across tours. I don’t think further details have been announced.

[Prem]

^^^^ Not sure if most of the above is accurate unless Prem is in with the Saudis.. No one in US perhaps outside of a few insiders know the structure for next year. All we have heard is there is going to be some kind of an umbrella organization under which some number of tours will operate. Clearly Saudi PIF money will go into the umbrella organization but there may still be a LIV like tour, a main PGA tour, and an European Tour with more opportunities for players to play across tours. I don’t think further details have been announced.

I too don’t know much as everything is uncertain. Let’s wait and see how the Tours line up events and give memberships!! LIV players may have to qualify again??

[prajgolf]

LIV Golf Invitational Series - Andalucia

Final score:

T-38: Anirban Lahiri, +8, $140,000

LIV Golf Invitational Series - London

Final score:

T-11 Anirban Lahiri, -8, $340,000

[prajgolf]

LIV Golf Invitational Series - Greenbrier

Final score:

T18 Anirban Lahiri, -10 $250,000

Anirban's team finished second and he gets an additional bonus of $375,000

[prajgolf]

LIV Golf Invitational Series - Bedminister

Final score:

2 Anirban Lahiri, -5 $2,250,000

Excellent day for Anirban

Anirban's team finished tied second and he gets an additional bonus of $250,000

[Prem]

Well done Anirban.
Good for him to earn this kind of money.
USD 2.5 million for finishing second and 3 rounds of golf is insane money paid by LIV Golf!!
That would have been a decent golfers career earnings on European Tour ( Shiv Kapur/SSP or Anirban himself).
Just to compare a 2nd place finish at THE OPEN would have earned a player just over USD 1 million or a 2nd place finish at THE MASTERS would have earned a player USD1.6 million…

[arjun2761]

This is silly money being spent by the Saudi's for sports-washing their regime. See also the ridiculous amounts they are paying over-the-hill soccer players for their 3rd or 4th tier soccer league. Glad that Anirban is among the players that is benefitting from this largesse.

It would be nice if they pumped some of this money into tennis. Of course, it would be even better if they paid the South Asian labor better....

[jayakris]

Of course, it would be even better if they paid the South Asian labor better....

Cha Ching!