Sharma finishes well at Wentworth to match Randhawa’s feat of 2008

By Rahul Banerji

Shubhankar Sharma picked up momentum late on Saturday to bring home a top-10 finish in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on Sunday.

After rounds of 2-under par 70 and 3-under 69, Sharma hit his stride late on Saturday with four straight birdies from 15 to 18 and handed in a 4-under 68 card.

The European Tour’s youngest-ever winner then made sure he would finish well on a Surrey Sunday, hitting seven birdies against one dropped shot for a spectacular 66.

That left him four shots behind winner Billy Horschel of the US, who outduelled hard-charging Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Luke Donaldson of Wales and England’s Laurie Canter to the wire.

Sunday’s result at Wentworth equalled the tied ninth Sharma had scored at the Cazoo Classic last month but was worth a lot more, both in terms of the paycheque and points earned.

Hey Friends,
Extremely pleased with my work at #Wentworth last week. I could feel a lot of positive vibes from local Indian diaspora here in #London as well as back home. We will win it one day.That's a promise!

Thank you @EuropeanTour and grnd staff
for a fab week. @BMWchamps

— Shubhankar Sharma (@shubhankargolf) September 13, 2021

It took the 25-year-old up 26 places to 78^th in the Race to Dubai, the European Tour’s Order of Merit and 295^th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Up next for Sharma is the 1 million Euro Dutch Open in the Netherlands from September 16 to 19.

Special feat

According to Dubai-based golf writer Joy Chakravarty, Sharma’s shared ninth-place finish at the BMW is the best by an Indian after Jyoti Randhawa’s sole fifth place in 2008.

Only these two have finished in the top 10 at the European Tour’s major event, now worth $8 million.

Meanwhile, according to the European Tour’s website, Horschel already has a World Golf Championships title this season and the BMW title moved him up to second on the Race to Dubai Rankings.

Horschel became the first American to win a Rolex Series event and only the second to win this event after Arnold Palmer in 1975.

“Adding my name to Arnold Palmer, that’s legendary stuff,” Horschel was quoted as saying.

“That guy, if it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have this modern era of golf to play in front of thousands of fans and big sponsors. Tiger Woods took it to another level but Arnie is the one who started it.

“So to have my name on that trophy next to his being the second American to win this event here at Wentworth is pretty special.”

Also read: Sharma notches up season’s second top-10 finish at Kent event