Shubhankar Sharma set for British Masters debut

Shubhankar is one of the three Indians in the field this week, the other two being S.S.P. Chawrasia and Gaganjeet Bhullar.

Shubhankar Sharma got a taste of the tough windy and wet conditions on Wednesday.

 

Shubhankar Sharma, S.S.P. Chawrasia and Gaganjeet Bhullar will lead India’s charge at the Betfred British Masters golf tournament which kicks off on Thursday.

Shubhankar, who has two European Tour titles under his belt, is one of the three Indians in the field this week — the other two being Chawrasia, four-time winner on European Tour, and Bhullar, whose sole win on the Tour came in Fiji last year.

Chawrasia will be the first of the three to tee off early at 7.30 am alongside Darren Fichardt and Oliver Fisher, while Bhullar goes out with Hugo Leon and Niklas Lemke and then Shubhankar plays with Sam Horsfield and Jason Scrivener in the afternoon.

Shubhankar got a taste of the tough windy and wet conditions. He said he was relieved that the weather was going to be relatively better for the rest of the week.

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“This course can be very tough in windy conditions like today during the Pro-Am. I am told the weather will be better next few days,” he said.

“I had a good outing with Anirban (Lahiri) at Zurich Classic on PGA Tour. We were 19-under and 20-under and were in top five, but then our putting did not go the way it should have and we ended tied 22nd. I spent some time in Manchester and London and I feel fresh this week. We have a string of big events and then the Open.”

This is Shubhankar’s first appearance at the British Masters.

Chawrasia is playing the British Masters for only the second time. He was there in Newcastle in 2017, when he finished 66th.

India’s Anirban Lahiri would look to hold on to his PGA card when he tees up at the AT&T Byron Nelson golf championship in the US.

Lahiri is still in search of the rhythm that once made him Asia no. 1 a few years ago and won him two European Tour titles back in 2015.

Without a title since early 2015, when he won in his home country at the Hero Indian Open, Lahiri is bracing against time to hold on to his PGA card.