As incredible as 2018 was for India’s Shubhankar Sharma, he just can’t wait to find out what the New Year holds for him.
The 22-year-old from Chandigarh shot into the limelight by winning two European Tour co-sanctioned event in his first four starts in the season (2017 Joburg Open and the 2018 Maybank Championship), and then travelling all the way to Mexico City where he held the lead in his first ever WGC event against the sport’s finest after 54 holes.
However, having reached a world ranking of 64 earlier in the year, Sharma could not maintain the momentum and ended the season ranked No. 116.
I want to be better prepared physically and mentally for every major I get to play this year. Last year was awesome. But I do get the feeling that this year will be even better.
A hectic schedule, which included 12 successive weeks of competitive golf towards the end of the season, took a toll, but the gongs at the end of the year made all the blood, sweat and tears worth it. He was named the European Tour Rookie of the Year (a first for Indian golf) and won the Asian Tour Order of Merit crown.
That middle-of-the-year period also included a failed attempt to secure a PGA Tour card. He played all four majors, but made the cut only in the Open Championship at Carnoustie, and after that tied ninth in Mexico, his other three WGC appearances were nothing much to write about.
So, does he have any regrets about the year gone by and is it a case of missed opportunity?
64
Sharma’s world ranking peaked in 2018 before he ended the year at 116“Not at all. I will always cherish the year. If you had asked me in November 2017 if I’d be happy with my 2018 even with one-fourth of what I finally managed to achieve, I’d have taken it in a heartbeat,” Sharma, who was also accorded the Arjuna Award for his achievements, told Gulf News in an exclusive interview.
“The only regret, if you ask me, was not making the cut at The Masters, because I thought I played very well there. Rest everything is a huge learning experience for me. I think what others may consider as failure, those are the moments that would make me stronger.
“If I did get my PGA Tour card, it would have been amazing. But I now have a much better idea of how to go about it. I missed cuts at the majors, but I think I can handle myself much better if I play them this year.”
Let’s not discount the fact that almost everything that Sharma did in 2018 was a new experience for him. Off the 33 tournaments he played, only seven were held on golf courses he had played before, including the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club, where he plays his first two tournaments of the year in the next two weeks.
“I am really looking forward to playing in Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. I love the two golf courses and I was happy with the way I played there last year. Having said that, they were again something new for me,” said Sharma, who finally finished 28th in the Race to Dubai last year. “Not only did I have to make adjustments to my game for the European Tour, I also found that you need to have different shots to do well on the PGA Tour.
“I also remember I was in awe of the players. I wanted to follow guys like Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy after my rounds, and I guess everyone knows now what happened between Phil Mickelson and me in Mexico (referring to an incident where the American did not recognise the Indian who was leading the event and mistook him for a member of the media). I still have the greatest of respect for all of them, but I won’t be wide-eyed if I am paired with one of them tomorrow.”
So, what are the immediate goals as Sharma starts a new season? “First and foremost in my mind is that I need to play well early in the season so that I can get into the top 50 of the world rankings and secure my place at the Masters and the other majors and WGC events. At the moment I am only guaranteed starts at the Open Championship and the WGC-Mexico,” said Sharma.
“I definitely want to play a better schedule with more rest periods in between. My travel was too hectic because I was trying to play on too many Tours. It was important at that time given what was at stake for me on each of the Tours, but I’d ideally like to play about 25-27 events in a season.
“I am going to concentrate on the European Tour. However, if I get a chance to play on the PGA Tour, I will certainly do that. And I definitely want to be better prepared physically and mentally for every major I get to play this year. Last year was awesome. But I do get the feeling that this year will be even better.”
