Bogeys end Sharma’s Nedbank Challenge title hopes

INDIA’S Shubhankar Sharma (right) faltered towards the end with back-to-back bogeys to squander the lead and eventually finish third at the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa .

Sharma (71, 69, 69, 69), who at one stage, was 11-under after 15 holes, let his advantage slip on the 16th and 17th holes to card a threeunder 69 in the final round last Sunday (13).

The 26-year-old Indian, who had a disappointing run after his second place finish in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year, finished nine-under for the tournament to claim a prize money of €372,906 (£326,431).

He will now play the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai which begins on Thursday (17).

Sharma’s only other top 10 finish this year was an impressive T-2 finish in January at the $8 million HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood of England shot a fiveunder 67 for back-to-back titles, finishing 11-under for the tournament. He won by one shot over Ryan Fox, who ended 10-under after carding a 68. Fleetwood had won the event in 2019, when it was last held.

Sharma looked set for a third European Tour victory with four holes left after he birdied the par-5 14th hole to get to 11-under, drawing level with Fleetwood. Fox, the other player in the group, also birdied the hole for a three-way tie for the lead.

But as the tournament entered the final stages, Fleetwood parred all the remaining holes, while Sharma bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes. Fox bogeyed the final hole to finish one shot back.

Fleetwood and Fox went into the final round three shots behind Rasmus Højgaard and Thomas Detry. The overnight leaders only managed five holes when play was suspended due to lightning in the area.

Shortly after the restart, Højgaard went bogey-bogey-double bogey from the seventh, and Fleetwood and Sharma took advantage, moving to 10-under with birdies at the parfive ninth. Sharma posted another at the 10th while Fleetwood could only par as Fox joined the party.

Fleetwood slipped back after a bogey at the 12th but a moment of magic at the 14th turned things back in his favour. Moments later, his playing partners Sharma and Fox rolled in their birdie putts and the three of them walked to the 15th tee sharing the lead.

Sharma’s challenge ended with bogeys at 16 and 17 and when Fleetwood tapped in for par at the last, after almost sinking a huge birdie attempt, Fox paid for a poor tee shot and posted his only bogey of the day at the worst possible moment.

While Sharma finished in solo third, Scotland’s Richie Ramsay ended a shot further back.

Sharma had won on the European Tour in December 2017 when he claimed the Joburg Open, followed by the Maybank Championship.