Olympian Shubhankar Sharma eager to shine on home turf in International Series

Olympian Shubhankar Sharma eager to shine on home turf in International Series

Shubhankar Sharma is one of the bright young golfers in the country, and the 28-year-old Olympian is excited to be getting ready for the USD 2 million International Series event to be played at the DLF Golf and Country Club from January 30.

Speaking to the media on a zoom call after a practice session at the USD 2.5M Ras Al Khaimah championship in UAE, Shubhankar said that he was “looking forward to come and play in front of home fans” in a star-studded field.

“This is my second tournament after Dubai last week. There is no better preparation than competing in tournaments.

“It is amazing to see Indian golf grow to this level that we will have stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Joaquin Niemann, Anirban Lahiri and many more in an event at home. I remember watching Vijay Singh and Adam Scott as a youngster. Indian Open is huge, but this field is stronger,” observed Shubhankar who has a rich experience in the professional circuit round the world, having turned professional when he was a teenager in 2013.

“I played the International Series last season in Riyadh. The competition level was amazing,” he said.

Conceding that he would not be able to match long-hitters any time soon, Shubhankar pointed out that the DLF in Gurugram was not a “Bomber’s course”.

“At the DLF, it is not about hitting it long. Strategising is important,” he said, suggesting that sharpening the short game and understanding the course was the key to excel.

The Chandigarh golfer, who has been living five minutes away from the DLF course in Gurugram for the last few years, Shubhankar said that he was very happy to be playing in front of friends and family, as it worked in his favour.

Two-time champion on the European circuit, Shubhankar had made 24 cuts out of 30 events last year. He said that the goal was to do well on a Sunday afternoon and win the title.

“The quality of golf is quite high. But I have been making mistakes and losing momentum. I have made some equipment changes, and have newer model irons of the same brand. There is not much to change in the game. I am working on the basics and trying to solidify them,” he said.

Quite used to competing in cold conditions in Europe, Shubhankar said that the winter chill during the event in Gurugram would not be such a challenge, even though the course itself could be playing a bit different.