Sentosa, Singapore, 12-03-2018
Sharma extends lead in Asian Tour money list, moves up two spots to 64 in world ranking
Earns berth at WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play
Indian hotshot Shubhankar Sharma extended his advantage at the top of the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings after capping a commendable tied-seventh place finish at the US$1.75 million Hero Indian Open on Sunday.
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The 21-year-old Sharma, who propelled into stardom with two victories over the last three months, had set a new course record at the DLF Golf and Country Club with a second round eight-under-par 64 before going on to cap his best result ever in his National Open.
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He closed with a three-over-par 75 and a four-under-par 284 total to finish seven shots shy of making the play-off which saw Matt Wallace of England defeating countryman Andrew Johnston on the first extra hole to emerge victorious.
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The young Indian talent had returned home in glory at the start of the week, having notched a tied-ninth place finish in his World Golf Championships debut at the WGC-Mexico Championship the week before, where he led by two shots in the second and third round.
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Sharma continued to hog the headlines when he received a coveted invite to The 2018 Masters Tournament on Tuesday, thanks to his recent exploits. He had earlier earned a berth at The Open in July following his breakthrough win at the 2017 Joburg Open, which was part of The Open Qualifying Series.
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“I am disappointed but these things happen and it is not an easy course. Even though I started well, I made a few bad swings but, in the end, it was alright. I really enjoyed the tournament and I loved the support. I would like to thank everyone for coming out to support me.
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“I am happy about the way I have been playing and that I am able to get myself into contention every week. I put in a lot of hard work, and I am happy with the way things have been. Disappointments are part of the game. It will just make me stronger. The next time I'm in this situation, I'll do better,†said Sharma, who had held a share of the overnight one-shot lead heading into the final round.
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Sharma moved up two rungs to a career-high 64th place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) following his solid result at the Hero Indian Open, maintaining his status as the leading Indian player in the world.
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By breaking into top-64 on the OWGR as of the cut-off date on March 12, Sharma earned his second WGC appearance at the 2018 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament, which will get underway at the Austin Country Club in Texas from March 21 to 25.
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“I'm looking forward to playing the 2018 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play tournament. It'll be a good break from stroke play. The last time I won a match play event was six years ago at the All-Indian Amateur,†added Sharma.
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Sharma sits atop the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings with a current haul of US$548,125 while Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat occupies second place with US$251,173.
Shubhankar also continues to lead the European Tour Race to Dubai with 978,199 points. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood is in second place with 755,254 points.
Source: Asian Tour
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