Shubhankar Sharma opens account in Joburg Open
CHENNAI: It’s turning out to be an unprecedented year for Indian golf. After five internationals titles won by four players, Shubhankar Sharma nailed a sixth on Monday, at the Joburg Open sanctioned jointly by the European and African Tours. It was the Chandigarh pro’s first international title, which makes him the youngest Indian to win on the European Tour at 21.
“I had been playing well before suffering a bit of a dip in the middle of the year. This title means a lot. A first win is always difficult and hopefully, it will make me a more confident player in future tournaments. I had started well, but it was important to finish well. I had to stay aggressive. It’s difficult to describe the feeling. It’s a relief as well as joy,” Sharma told Express from Johannesburg.
Other than making him richer by $191,532 (`1.23 crore approximately), the win at Randpark Golf Club handed Sharma a full card on the European Tour for 2018 and a place at next year’s British Open given to the top three in Johannesburg.
“The Open is a dream come true. It’s yet to sink in and I don’t want to look that far. I will concentrate on playing well in Europe and take it from there,” added the player who became the fifth Indian after Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Anirban Lahiri, SSP Chawrasia to win a title on the European Tour.
A promising player on the domestic circuit, Sharma was off to an encouraging start in 2017, recording three top-10 finishes in events on the Asian and Japanese Tours. But tied fourth in an event in Bangladesh was his best, before he lost his way somewhat in the middle of the year. Tied 10th in the Hong Kong Open, sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours in November, suggested he was coming back to his own.
In Johannesburg, Sharma carded 69-61-65-69 for a tally of 23-under 264, which saw him beat South African Erik Van Rooyen by three strokes. The performance also lifted him to 226 in world rankings. “I owe everything to my coach Jesse Grewal and (co-player) Gurbaaz Mann, who helped me get where I am today. From inputs on game to encouragement, their help has been immense.”
Before Sharma, Chawrasia, Shiv Kapur (two), Gaganjeet Bhullar and Ajeetesh Sandhu were the Indians to have won international titles this year. Like Sandhu, Sharma is a new winner.
atreyo@newindianexpress.com