Family a big reason for me to choose LIV Golf: Anirban Lahiri

Lahiri, who lost in a three-way playoff, said lack of familial support and swimming against the current all by himself on the PGA Tour goaded him to join LIV Golf. The 35-year-old, who is planning to shift base to Dubai by the end of the year, spoke to TOI. Excerpts...You shot 15-under for the tournament, the best score of the season, you couldn't have asked for a better debut.It could have been better by a shot or two.

But if anybody told me at the beginning of the week that that is how the week would pan out, not just myself playing well but leading my team all three days to a podium finish, it's as good a start as I could have ever dreamed of. Would you attribute it to playing with a lot more freedom since you're playing without a cut?No. The one thing I felt different was the environment, the energy.

The atmosphere was welcoming. There were a lot of familiar faces, because of the Asian Tour's involvement with LIV. I saw a lot of people after six, seven years who had become my friends after playing nearly a decade on the Asian Tour.

I felt at ease off the golf course as well. That translated on to the golf course. A lot of it actually has to do with my mindset.

Does the absence of a 36-hole cut, qualification, Tour card, have a positive psychological impact?No, it's difficult to compare LIV golf to regular golf. But once you start getting into the week, I would look at the board every now and not just to see how I was faring on the individual leaderboard but also to see if you are contributing to the team. I think the motivation and the mindset is different.

You're not thinking you can go for broke since there's no cut. I got to make sure my score counts. My teammates are dependent on me.