Johannesburg: Shubhankar Sharma became Monday, the youngest Indian golfer to claim a European Tour title by clinching the Joburg Open, which also earned him a ticket to the prestigious British Open next year.
The 21-year-old closed with a three-under 69 and was bogey-free in the final 54 holes as he ended his first tournament in South Africa with an impressive winning total of 23-under 264 at the Randpark Golf Club. The win in only his 10th European Tour start made Shubhankar, the first from the country to win in South Africa. He bettered the seasoned Anirban Lahiri, who was 27 when he won the co-sanctioned Maybank Malaysian Open in 2015.
En route to his title triumph, Sharma defeated home favourite Erik van Rooyen (66) by three shots to claim the trophy. “It feels fantastic. I’m glad I made the decision to come here after thinking about not coming. I don’t think I will ever forget this week. This is my first win on the Asian Tour and the European Tour so it means a lot to me,” Subhankar said.
“Playing in The Open is everyone’s dream. Personally it is my favourite Major championship. I’ve watched it every year on television and to be playing in it next year is absolutely great,” he added.
Two-time Asian Tour winner Shaun Norris (65) of South Africa and Tapio Pulkkanen of Finland settled for third place.
Sharma, on the ninth hole overnight, returned to strike a birdie before parring his way home for a 69 to win the 16.5 million rands (approximately USD 1.2 million) event.
The victory was more special for the talented Indian as he won in the country of his golfing idol Ernie Els, who he met as an 11-year-old boy at the Delhi Golf Club in 2007.
Press Trust of India