Shubhankar looks forward to playing alongside Woods
kolkata — Indian golf’s latest sensation Shubhankar Sharma is eager to play alongside his idol Tiger Woods at the British Open, saying he wants to make the most of the opportunity of playing a major and rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the business.
All of 21, Sharma though added in the same breath that he is not going to get carried away by the fame of his rivals.
In topping the leaderboard at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg, Sharma bagged a place at the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie next July.
Three places were up for grabs as part of The Open Qualifying Series and Sharma was joined in securing
Tiger Woods is my idol. I pretty much follow him Shubhankar Sharma
his spot at Carnoustie by runner-up Erik van Rooyen and Shaun Norris who finished in a tie for third.
“Tiger Woods is my idol. I pretty much follow him. In India, I follow Jeev (Milkha Singh) and Arjun Atwal, SSP (Chawrasia) all of these guys..Anirban (Lahiri).
“I am looking forward to playing with Woods at The Open. He will play, he is fit now,” Sharma said after winning the PGTI’s seasonending McLeod Russel Tour Championship at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).
Woods recently recovered from surgery on his lower back which has kept him out for the best part of two years.
But the American thoroughly impressed when he returned for the Hero World Challenge last month.
The former world champion finished ninth in an 18-man field and many pundits have since backed him to get back to his dazzling best.
“You can’t really be thinking too big of your opponents. You just have to go there and perform. I just want to do that. I don’t know how many chances I will get to play at that big stage so I just want to make the most of it. It’s great to play alongside legends of the game like Tiger Woods,” Sharma added. —