Shubhankar slips, Wallace takes title Shubhankar has the world at his feet

INDIAN OPEN GOLF Englishman wins in playoff after Indian cards threeover

Matt Wallace missed cut at the US Open last year, but won the Hero Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club, a course he reckons is many times tougher than Erin Hills in Wisconsin, where the season’s second Major was held. That it came in a playoff (against Andrew Johnston) made it harder and sweeter as well.

Though a winner on the European Tour, the Englishman was in search of the “next level”, and a chat with Shubhankar Sharma helped. “I’ve done it at a lower level (Wallace won six times on the subsidiary Alps Tour in a season) but what Shubhankar has achieved in the past few months is inspirational,” he said.

After Sunday and the lessons learnt this week, Wallace would have a thing or two to share as well and hope the triumph is the “start of a few big things” he had dreamt of at the start of the season.

As for Shubhankar, the final day’s round of three-over par 72 and the slip from joint lead to T7 summed up what he’d said earlier. “The beauty of golf is you can never perfect it.”

Wallace shared the lead after Saturday but was under no illusion, not after Shubhankar finished the penultimate round with a birdie. “I told Dave (caddy) that we were definitely not the favourite. So I woke up as if this was the first round a nd I had to be on top so that I could give an interview.”

The ploy seemed to work as at one point he even worked up a three-shot lead. But then this is a course that, though punishing, rewards those playing the best golf. In this case, Johnston, who carded the day’s best score of 66.

EXCITEMENT

Johnston’s surge and Wallace’s bogey on the 16th livened up proceedings towards the end. It was the champion’s lone blemish but scared him no end. It helped to have a familiar face like Stephen Gallacher’s in the leader group. “The tee shot was a nervous one but Stephen encouraged me to go on. Coming from a veteran, it spurred me on,” said Wallace.

In the playoff, Wallace immediately swung it his way with a monstrous drive down the 18th. After a brilliant second shot and two putts, the title was his.

As Wallace said, he had learnt his lesson. At the beginning of the year, he and his team had set some goals but realised after that it only put him under pressure. So he was back to playing golf for the joy it brought.

Now that it has worked, Sunday would be played like Thursday in the hope that the interviews are frequent. Shubhankar Sharma is going through a great run. Winning two European Tour events was no mean achievement.

And then to follow it up with a 54-hole lead at a WGC event was fabulous and he finished in the top 10. And then flying across the world, he added another top 10 at the Hero Indian Open.

No golfer can be expected to win all the time. People’s expectations were too high, maybe because he was leading by two in Mexico and because he was in shared lead at the DLF Golf and Country Club.

But to manage top 10s and stay on in mid-60s of world rankings is no mean achievement at the age of 21.

He has the world at his feet. He will be there at the WGC Match Play and then the Masters and he has some other invitations to PGA Tour events. All this could add up to a possible passage to the PGA and that would be incredible for him and Indian golf.

TRIPLE DOUBLE HURT

On the final day, starting with a share of the lead, he moved in the right direction with two early birdies, but then dropped three double bogeys. That was tough to make up, especially when players like Matt Wallace, who played amazingly well on the last day, and Andrew Johnston, who was bogey-free on the final day.

Wallace and Johnston played the way Emiliano Grillo did on first two days and then Shubhankar played on the second day.

Wallace’s play on the third day for his 70 was the key because conditions were tough and he handled them well.

That momentum carried him to the top and his four birdies on the front nine did the trick. The 16th was the only time he went a little to the left and it cost him a bogey.

Johnston birdied at the right time and forced a playoff.

Wallace and Johnston finishing at 11-under was tremendous at the challenging DLF Golf and Country Club.

GURGAON:

WALLACE’S ATTACK Once again Wallace showed heart in the playoff and went for the green on 18th. Unlike regulation play, this time he birdied it and edged out Johnston, who despite losing it can take heart from a good finish.

All in all, a good finish for the spectators and I am sure we are looking forward to the 2019 edition of the Hero Indian Open.