The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Good memories for defending champion
India’s Shub hank ar Sharma hopes his long-awaited title defence in the Joburg Open can continue his recent improved run of form.
Sharma claimed his maiden European Tour title when the Joburg Open last featured on the European Tour in December 2017, the then 21-year-old beating home favourite Erik van Rooyen by three shots at Randpark Golf Club.
Two months later, Sharma also won the Maybank Championship on his way to being named rookie of the year for 2018, a year in which he reached a career-high of 64th in the world.
Now ranked 347 th, Sharma missed the cut in nine of his first 11 European Tour events in 2020, but has since made his last seven in succession and was 14th and 20th in the recent back-to-back events in Cyprus.
“It still feels like it was yesterday, I still remember everything,” Sharma said of his 2017 victory.
“That’ s where it all started for me. I have fond memories and I am really happy to be back.
“I think I was very calm the whole week. I don’t think I made a bogey in the last three days so every time I got in trouble I could get out with a par and I think that was the key. I kept grinding.
“It is tree- lined and I grew up on courses back home which were treelined so it definitely suits me. It usually flies a long way here and obviously you have to make a lot of calculations and adjustments for your yardages.
“I love the city, I think it is very green and very nice so I’m really looking forward to the tournament starting and hopefully I can draw on them good memories and have another win here.”
Scots in the field this week are David Law, Scott Jamieson, Grant Forrest, David Dr ysdale, Ewen Ferguson and Ryan Lumsden.
World number six Webb Simpson heads the strongest field in the history of the RSM Classic as he bids to finally get his hands on the trophy.
Simpson has recorded five top-15 finishes in eight appearances at Sea Island, Georgia, including losing a play-off to Tyler Duncan last year and another to Ben Crane in 2011.
The 35-year-old is one of 20 players in the world’s top 50 in the field and one of the five, along with Sungjae Im, Dylan Frittelli, CT Pan and Corey Conners, who finished in the top 10 in the Masters and have made the 200-mile drive south from Augusta.
“Augusta does bring stress on you I think more than any course we play with the undulation, the greens, the water around so many holes,” said Simpson, who finished tied 10th on Sunday.
“And it’s the Masters, so there’s just a lot going into it mentally. Sunday night sometimes you’re so tired you can’t sleep. That’s how I was Sunday night. I wasn’t in contention, but I had a good four days.”
Open champion Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Danny Willett will all make their tournament debuts this week.
Denmark’ s Emily Pedersen is in contention for a ‘ Saudi sweep’ after day two of the Saudi Ladies Team International.
Pedersen, who won the Aramco Saudi Ladies International last week, carded a second round of 66 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club to lie a shot behind Spain’ s Luna Sobron Galmes in the individual event.
And that helped lift Pedersen’s group, which includes Scotland’s Michele Thomson and South Africa’s Casandra Hall, to a two-shot lead at 27 under par in the team event.