By Rahul Banerji
A second straight two under par 70 helped Team India record a tied 10th place finish at the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf in Melbourne even as Shubhankar Sharma strengthened his chances in the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit race.
Shubhankar extended his lead atop the Habitat for Humanity Standings after signing for a second successive 67 to cap a commendable week.
He finished tied for sixth with Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello at the Honma Hong Kong Open.
Shunhankar will now skip the AfrAsian Bank Mauritius Open and South Africa Open but can seal the race in Indonesia.
The 22 year old currently holds a healthy advantage over his closest pursuers Sanghyun Park of Korea and South Africa’s Andrew Harding.
“I’m definitely very happy with this top-10 finish. It got really tough out there today with the rain, and in the end I was just pleased to finish off well,” Shubhankar said on Sunday.
“I was trying my best to stay calm and I’m really happy with the way I played. I got off to a bad start, but the par on the last hole was very nice, so I’m very happy.
Race still open?
“It’s obviously great to be able to extend my lead on the Habitat for Humanity standing, but again, like I said, it’s not over until it’s over. So, we have to wait until we finish.
“I’m going to give Mauritius and South Africa Open a miss to get some rest but I’ll definitely, go back home and rest and just work on the things that I have to work on and hopefully everything is set for Jakarta. “
In Melbourne, Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar secured what was India’s second ever top 10 placing in the World Cup.
Steady finish
Despite an early dropped shot and a further two bogeys down the line, five birdies helped Lahiri and Bhullar steady the push for a good finish in the final day foursomes.
At the top, Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry gave Belgium a historic first victory at World Cup of Golf at the Metropolitan Golf Club.
Holding a five-shot lead, the former University of Illinois teammates held off the fast-charging Australian pair of Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith with a closing 4-under 68 that featured one eagle,six birdies and three bogeys.
“Being able to put our name down the list when you see the amount of good players and all the big names that were actually on the cup, it feels pretty special,” Detry said.
Home charge
Leishman and Smith raised hopes when they narrowed the lead to two strokes with their seventh birdie of the day.
The home side though could only par after that as the Belgians hung on for a memorable triumph in their nation’s golf history.
“Belgium was clearly the best team all week,” Leishman said.
“When you come up against someone like that, we did what we had to do today to put the pressure on and they were just too good. When you get beat by someone who’splaying that well, there’s not much you can do.”
Mexico’s Abraham Ancer and Roberto Diaz closed with a 66 to share second place with Australia for their country’s best showing.
Defending champions Denmark, represented by Thorbjorn Olesen and Soren Kjeldesen shot a 65 to share fourth place with Canada’s Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor at 17-under 271.
Rai’s feat
Kenya-born Aaron Rai claimed his maiden European Tour title after holding off fellow Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick to secure a one-shot victory in Hong Kong.
The 23 year old never surrendered the lead on Sunday but saw a six-shot advantage cut to a single stroke by Fitzpatrick during a thrilling final-round battle in the pouring rain at Hong Kong Golf Club.
Five-time European Tour winner Fitzpatrick had seven birdies in his first 16 holes to raise the stakes but his challenge faltered with a late bogey to give his compatriot a two-shot cushion with one hole remaining.
Also read:Of smiles and sometimes scowls, on a golf course
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