2018 was a year of many highs for Indian golf

By Rahul Banerji

Looking back on the last day of 2018, most followers of the sport will feel that it was a year of promise and plenty for Indian golf, at home and overseas.

Be it the exploits of Anirban Lahiri and Aditi Ashok in America, the European and Asian Tour heroics of Shunhankar Sharma, the coming of age of Gaganjeet Bhullar, Khalin Joshi and Aadil Bedi, or the rebirth of Rahil Ganjee, there were stories at all levels.

Six overseas wins by Indian golfers came through the season, four on the Asian Tour of which two were at home, and two in events also co-sanctioned by the European Tour.

While Shubhankar was the star for his Asian Tour-topping run through the season, the task of tackling the sustained pressure and delivering regularly on the demanding US PGA and LPGA Tours made Lahiri’s and Aditi’s displays special.

The fact that they both kept their full cards for the new season just goes to underline how consistently they delivered, even if there were no wins to show for at the end of it all.

Anirban’s bane

Lahiri went all the way into the season-ending FedEx Cup and till stage three but was unable to better his finish of last year and ended with a 99th placing that left him disappointed, especially at the quality of his short game.

“The difference between the times I played well and didn’t play well was my short game and putting. Weeks I got in the mix was when I didn’t drop a lot of shots and kept my game really tight.

“In the last few months, starting with the PGA Championship, I had difficulty adjusting to the greens and different surfaces and it threw my confidence off and I didn’t recover from that week.

“There were too many rounds where I lost momentum. I would get to one or two-under after five or six holes but didn’t have stretches where those two-under became five-under. I didn’t build on those good starts,” he would say later.

One of those good starts was at the Greenbrier Classic, where he could have been the first Indian ever to g under 60 for a round but for two missed birdies. Still and all, that 61 was probably the high point of the year for Lahiri.

For Aditi, the big moments came early in the season with two successive top 10s on the LGA Tour, T7 at the Mediheal Championship and then one better with a tied sixth finish at the Texas Classic.

Stellar Shubhankar

But much of the attention was reserved for Shubhankar Sharma.
The 22-year-old built on his late 2017 South Africa success with victory at the Maybank Championships in brutal conditions this February when he came from behind to win on the final day.

He was to go on and play as many as 33 events plus the US Open qualifiers and turned heads with his WGC debut in Mexico.

Playing the final round as leader alongside Phil Mickelson, Shubhankar finished in a share for ninth place and also led going into the final round of the CIMB Classic in Malaysia before an eventual T10 finish.

By the time he got to Jakarta for the Asian Tour’s final event. Sharma had already sealed that race, as well as Rookie of the Year on the European Tour for the Harry Cotton award.

“This was certainly the best year of my life and no matter what I achieve, I will always cherish 2018 and to better it will be my goal,” Sharma said at Jakarta.

Gagan’s return

In between, Gaganjeet Bhullar overcame injury and topped his comeback with victory at the co-sanctioned Fiji International that gave him an Indian record ninth Asian Tour win and a first one on the European and Australasian Tours.

It sealed his card for either tour, while close buddy Khalin Joshi not only landed his maiden Asian Title with the Panasonic India win at the Delhi Golf Club, but also topped the PGTI’s order of Merit.

Resilient Rahil

Rahil Gangjee took 14 years to register a second Asian Tour win. He then added a second title on the Asian Development Tour event in Bangalore, the Louis Philippe Cup. After winning in his rookie year in 2004, he was winless as he travelled to Web.Com Tour and returned to seek and reverse fortunes in Asia.

Ganjee finally broke through for a second time at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open, a co-sanctioned event in Japan, which also sealed his Japan and Asian Tour cards.

Another Asian Tour title came India’s way when Viraj Madappa won the debut-making Take Solutions Masters Asian Tour event at the KGA in Bangalore, another example after Ganjee of a Kolkata golfer making good from a new home.

A talented golfer seemingly lost to winning ways finally made his way back into the champions’ circle in the form of S. Chikkarangappa with the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational title on the PGTI Tour.

Chikka, as he is popularly known, then went one better by locking up his Asian Tour card with a second place finish at the Mauritius Open.

More cards

Late in the year, India had a record seven players in the Final Stage of the LET Q-School. Of them, Astha Madan finished tied seventh and Diksha Dagar was T21 to earn limited status on the tour for 2019.

Shortly after, four more joined the regulars on the men’s Asian Tour with Chandigarh teenager Aadil Bedi, former Panasonic winner Chiragh Kumar, the blossoming Aman Raj Sinha of Patna and Abhijit Singh Chadha sealing their cards at the Q School in Hua Hin, Thailand, just a few hours ago.

On the amateur front, Dubai-based Rayhan Thomas continues to cement his status as a future star with a tied second finish at the prestigious Asia-Pacific Amateurs.

Thomas also earned a spot on the Open qualifiers final stage to try and get to The Open in 2019 after a somewhat disappointing Asian Games at Jakarta.

On that note, teetimetales wishes everyone a very Happy New Year and looks forward to welcoming you all back in 2019. May it be a great year with success, happiness and most importantly, good health, to one and all.

And better golf!

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