Shubhankar banks on the home feeling at DP World C’ship

India’s DP World Tour regular Shubhankar Sharma is banking on recent home success for a strong showing at this week’s DP World India Championship at the DGC in New Delhi. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.

Shubhankar banks on the home feeling at DP World Championship

By Rahul Banerji

Shubhankar Sharma made a profitable return to the DP World PGTI this year, winning the Boulders Classic at Hyderabad in April and then following up last week with the Kapil Dev Invitational Tour Championship title at Jaypee Greens.

After a difficult season that saw him well down the DP World Tour’s Order of Merit (Race to Dubai Rankings), the Indian ace is looking for a turnaround in fortunes at this week’s DP World India Championship.

With the venue — the Delhi Golf Club — an old haunt of the 30-year-old who is now a vastly-experienced traveller since turning professional in 2013, Shubhankar feels home comfort is a major motivating factor especially since he has spent years fending largely for himself on the international circuit.

“Sometimes being on tour gets very lonely and you’re doing your own thing, having dinners alone, and especially when you’re missing cuts and … you do this week after week,” Shubhankar told reporters on Tuesday.

“So coming back to India just gives me that sense of belonging and happiness. And all my friends play here, so it’s very easy to get away from bad shots or bad rounds and then switch on and switch off again. 

“Whereas outside those bad memories linger because you’re spending time on yourself on the course and off it.”

Excerpts:

On playing at the DGC

Shubhankar Sharma: Personally for me, I always wanted to play a big event here and have the chance to win on the 18th hole. 

Just to have that chance every year coming back is very special. Last year I had the second round was incredible for me. I was getting the momentum I needed. Third, fourth day wasn’t the best.

That was definitely the highlight and I just want to remember that feeling of the second day. Four days of that should take care of everything.

I never thought we could have an event of this stature in India, especially with the players that have come last year and now this year. It’s even bigger. 

On the DP World India Championship

Shubhankar Sharma: We saw Asian Tour, European Tour events in India, but an event of this statute, I never thought it was going to happen.

And when it was announced last year there was so much buzz that it was going to be here. All thanks to the DP World Tour for making it happen.

An event like this goes a long way for golf in India. I mean, for us professionals to play definitely is very special and to compete with the best in the world, but also for kids just to see the best coming to India. 

This is where dreams are formed, and this is where — like you said, I remember when it was 2008. I was what, 12 years old and I saw Ernie (Els) come and I still remember that moment vividly on the old range here.

This is going to be the next generation of golfers for India and I’m happy they can witness great players like Rory who also is here, but not only Rory, Aaron for example, won a major this year. Ryan Fox, Justin Rose, the list goes on and on.

On his win at last week’s Tour Championship

Shubhankar Sharma: My main goal of playing last week was to gain some momentum coming into this week. I wasn’t thinking about winning. I wasn’t thinking about anything. Just thinking about coming back, meeting all my friends.

Obviously winning the tournament was incredible, but to see that work that I’m putting in is now showing some result was the happiest thing for me during the week, which wasn’t happening throughout the year.

I felt like I was putting in the work from Monday to Wednesday week after week and then just ending up doing laundry on Saturday. 

So this week was better that way, that the work showed results. I was quite happy about that.

On his recent struggles

Shubhankar Sharma: It has been a mixture of a lot of things. Last year I went into a mode of changing clubs and trying to figure out what works best for me. 

That kind of backfired because I didn’t find what I needed, and I remember last year at this time I was saying the same thing.

Now the start of this year I thought I’d found the right thing and I put in a lot of the work. Again, on the DP World Tour that’s why it’s one of the toughest tours in the world, that we play different conditions. 

We are going to different continents. Weather changes. Grass changes. So I couldn’t find something consistent throughout and that was really putting me off. That has been the biggest problem.

The solution has been now just going back to the basics of finding clubs first of all, which I did in the middle of the year. I went back to old clubs with some minor adjustments, like strengthening the shaft. 

But then after that it was just going back to old feels and unlearning the things that I picked up, bad habits that I picked up while changing clubs.

So it was a lot of gym work, yes, but mostly work on technique on the range and on the courses and seeing how the club behaves in conditions where I have played well before in Europe but I wasn’t able to produce the same shots. 

So just feeling again and again and understanding. I think there is still more left. I still have things to do where I want to be able to hit the ball the way I can and I know I can and have done in the past.

That’s an ongoing process. For now I’m happy.

For the conditions of the course this week, very similar to last week. I think I have the equipment and the mindset to do what I need to do. 

On learning from DP World Tour experience

Shubhankar Sharma: It helps me. Now I’ve been playing on the DP World Tour for nine years so I think I’m past this stage of gaining experience in coming back to India. 

For me this has been my mainstay, playing on the DP World Tour. The last two years have been slightly weird. I’ve obviously struggled with a few things.

Before that I’ve been very comfortable and I have been contending a lot. In majors as well, in big tournaments where I feel like the game is coming and I’m playing better.

But that being said, now this year when I play it was after four years the first time I played. When I come and play in India obviously the conditions are very different to what we play in Europe.

On what keeps him going 

Shubhankar Sharma: I think this comes from within. You can never lose sight of your goals and why you play the sport.

For me the answer has always been very simple: I want to play with the best. It’s not about being comfortable for me. It’s about being uncomfortable and conquering that feeling and going and performing.

And that is what drives me to work. I don’t do social golfing to be honest when I’m back home. I’m training or I’m playing tournaments. I’m serious, just meeting my friends. 

No in between. For me that’s the driving power, and also I know I can play with the best because I’ve done it and I can perform and beat them.

So that feeling of knowing I can get there, and right now is a tough time and I will eventually get there, is something that keeps on pushing me.

So no matter how tough the time is, sometimes it gets hard, I try and forget it fully, but if I take two, three days off, there is never a time I’m like, I don’t want to do this. I want to go find the answer. 

When you find it it’s rewarding. When you find that one swing, oh, this is what I was doing. It clicks straightaway and then you hit 100 balls and you figure it out. That has not gone away. I know what I can do and I’ll keep pushing.

On what makes the grind worthwhile

Shubhankar Sharma: There is that childlike feeling of hitting that one shot in the air and you’re like, wow. At that level there are ten other things that have to come together for to you hit the perfect window and the spin.

That’s obviously what attracted me to the game from the start. When you’re playing on the DP World Tour sometimes it becomes very monotonous. Even if you get the feeling only you’re feeling it. There is no one to share it with.

As opposed to when I won on the PGTI I’m looking at my friend and telling him to do something and he’s looking at me. So there is like this shared feeling of getting better or discussing it over dinner. There, you’re doing it alone.

But even that is part of the challenge, being uncomfortable and conquering that feeling and still doing it. So in that way coming to the PGA has been really good. 

Whenever I’ve come back I’ve been really happy and able to feel that childlike exuberance I had when I was playing.

Last week hopefully has helped me and this week I can discover it again.

Also read: Shubhankar cruises to handsome win at Tour Championship