"He won’t qualify for the Olympics" - Arjun Atwal on Anirban Lahiri being denied world ranking points in LIV Golf League

Seasoned golfer Arjun Atwal reckoned that Anirban Lahiri could well fall short of a place in the Paris Olympics 2024 due to the “funny” law that denies world ranking points to players taking part in the LIV Golf League.

The Saudi-funded league consists of 48 players, competing for 54 holes with prize money of 20 million US dollars. But since the laws do not match the ones in the other 24 tours, world ranking points are not on offer.

The Official World Golf Ranking, which will determine the eligibility of the 60 golf spots in Paris, does not recognize the LIV Golf League.

Atwal put forth his opinions at the Royal Calcutta Golf Course during the announcement of the 2024 Kolkata Challenge.

“He’s playing well there, but they don’t receive any world ranking points for playing in the LIV Golf league, so he won’t qualify for the Olympics unless he earns world ranking points,” Atwal told the media.

“That’s the funny part. There’s a lot of controversy surrounding world ranking points and Olympic qualification. I’m trying to stay away from it. I really don’t know how the Olympics will include world ranking points or not; it would be a tough situation for them as well,” he added.

Tough road ahead for Anirban Lahiri

Lahiri is currently racing against time to book a ticket to Paris. Currently the third-ranked Indian after Shubhankar Sharma (202) and Gaganjeet Bhullar (240), Lahiri needs to push quite a bit when he takes part in the Asian Tour and India Open.

Lahiri is also set to make a return to the Indian Open after five years and the tournaments are crucial for him to garner world ranking points. Having already taken part in the Olympics in Rio and Tokyo, the 2014 Arjuna award-winner would not want to miss out on playing in Paris.