Shubhankar Sharma
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2018
2018, Feb: Won Maybank title
February 5, 2018: The Times of India
India’s rising golfing star Shubhankar Sharma continued his red-hot form as he fired a stunning 10-under-par 62 to clinch the $3 million Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur. The 21-year-old Indian, who won the Joburg Open towards the end of 2017 when the European 2018 season had already begun, has now won twice in a span of seven weeks and both on European Tour. Shubhankar turned in a dominant display to clinch his second Asian Tour and European Tour title with a winning total of 21-under-par 267 in windy conditions at the Saujana Golf and Country Club.
2018, Feb: no.1 Indian golfer; world’s no. 72
February 6, 2018: The Times of India
Shubhankar Sharma, who has enjoyed a golden run over the past two months on the international stage, has leapfrogged Anirban Lahiri to be the topranked Indian golfer in the world. Shubhankar’s sensational come-from-behind triumph at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia took him to 72 in world rankings, a gain of a whopping 121spots, Shubhankar was ranked 462 when he had entered European Tour’s Joburg Open in December last year. His victory there catapulted him to 226. His steep ascent has continued thanks to his second European Tour triumph in Kuala Lumpur.
Shubhankar, a Chandigarh resident, who has his roots in Jammu, has now not only broken into the top-100 for the first time in his career but has also emerged as the highestranked Indian, Olympian and PGA Tour regular Anirban Lahiri, who is currently placed 76th.
Sharma now also has the distinction of leading both the European Tour Race to Dubai and the Asian Tour Order of Merit. Shubhankar’s latest success also helped him join the exclusive club of Indians who have achieved two wins in the same European Tour season, the others being Jeev Milkha Singh (2006) and Lahiri (2015).
Youngest Indian to win Asian Tour Order of Merit
Pratyush Raj, Shubhankar, 22, soars like an eagle, December 9, 2018: The Times of India
BECOMES YOUNGEST INDIAN TO WIN ASIAN TOUR ORDER OF MERIT TITLE
Shubhankar Sharma became the youngest Indian to clinch the Asian Tour Order of Merit with a groundbreaking 2018 season. The Chandigarh-lad won the Order of Merit with a total winning purse of $755,994. He played nine Asian Tour tournaments.
Sharma, 22, joins fellow Indian golfers Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Jeev Milkha Singh and Anirban Lahiri who have won the Order of Merit as the top-earning pros on the Asian Tour, with Jeev the only Indian to have done so twice — in 2006 and 2008.
“To be honest, l never thought about it in my wildest dreams. It has been a crazy year for me. But for me getting the Arjuna Award was an absolute honour. I am not looking far ahead, right now my aim is to finish the year on a high at the Indonesia Masters which will begin next week in Jakarta,” Sharma told.
“The Asian Tour Order of Merit was something very significant for me, as were many of the other milestones, but with this I have followed in the footsteps of golfers like Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Jeev Milkha Singh and Anirban Lahiri, which itself is a great achievement,” he added.
This achievement caps off a consistent 12 months for Sharma, who won his first big title almost exactly a year ago at the Joburg Open, co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. He also picked top spot in Malaysia’s Maybank Championship in February, besides reaching a career-high ranking of 64 during his first Top-10 finish on the Asian Tour this year at the Indian Open in March. He went on to play all four Majors and qualified for the other three and also played all four World Golf Championship (WGC) events.
Asked about his packed schedule, the youngster said: “It was very tiring this year. I tried to play as many tournaments as possible, which took a toll on me. I will definitely plan better next year.”
