Beijing: Indian golf’s depth of talent will once again be on display as eight players, including the country’s latest sensation Shubhankar Sharma, tee off at the Volvo China Open here Thursday.
Seven of the eight Indians in the field this week have won in the past here and are capable of turning up with winning form. However, the Indian contingent does not include last week’s winner, Rahil Gangjee, who decided to stay back in Japan to play another event this week.
Leading the brigade is Shubhankar, whose twin wins in Johannesburg and Malaysia plus the tied 9 finish at the WGC-Mexico catapulted him into world focus. However, Shubhankar, who leads the Asian Tour rankings, has not been able to repeat those showing in the starts he gained in the US on the PGA Tour.
Sharma missed the cut at Houston Open, the Masters and the Texas Open, but at 21 he is still finding his feet around.
The tournament which was won by Jeev Milkha Singh 12 years ago, when Shubhankar was only nine, will also feature Shiv Kapur who has won here thrice.
Also to be seen in action are SSP Chawrasia, a two-time winner of Hero Indian Open in his four European Tour wins, eight-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, the eight-time Asian Tour and three-time European Tour winner, Arjun Atwal, Ajeetesh Sandhu, the winner in Taiwan and Khalin Joshi, the only one of the eight waiting for is break-through win.
press trust of india
