Anirban Lahiri : Shubhankar Sharma needs to keep his head down and play golf
Golfer Anirban Lahiri has told Shubhankar Sharma, who is on the verge of winning a third European Tour co-sanctioned title, to put his head down and continue growing as a player. Lahiri also added that what Shubhankar Sharma, who could win the 2018 Indian Open, is doing is incredible.
Shubhankar Sharma ended a tough Day 3 at an even-par 72 to share the lead after the penultimate round of the USD 1.75 million
“All he (Shubhankar Sharma) has to do now is keep his head down and play golf. Short of parting water and hitting a recovery shot from the middle of the lake, he can do anything right now. Whatever opportunity comes his way, he should embrace it, like he is doing this week,” Anirban wrote in his column in TOI.
Lahiri was also all praise for the 21-year old youngster.
“What Shubhankar Sharma is doing right now is incredible. It is often said that you should strike when the iron is hot. Riding on his form and momentum, he is on the verge of winning a third European Tour co-sanctioned title going into the final day of the Hero Indian Open,” he said.
He compared Shubhankar’s current form to his short stretch where he the Maybank Malaysian Open and the Hero Indian Open in a space of three weeks in 2015. He felt that if someone is in such form, the confidence shoots up.
“I have had a short stretch like this when I won the Maybank Malaysian Open followed by the Hero Indian Open in a space of three weeks in 2015. When you are going through that patch, you really feel invincible. Your confidence level becomes so high that you start pulling off shots purely because of your self-belief,” he added.
Speaking more on Shubhankar’s form, the 30-year old golfer further added that it is a wonderful space to be in. But the key is to extend the form for as long as possible.
“It’s just a great place to be. Every professional golfer experiences that at least once, and hopefully multiple times, in his career “However, the key is to extend it as much as possible. You can have a two-week run, or you can have a two-month run, or you can stretch it to a whole season. It is important to remain in the same mindset, your swing to remain in the same rhythm,” said Lahiri about Shubhankar’s form.
Lahiri was also disappointed by his performance and admitted that he was beaten by a "demanding" golf course.
“Personally, I started out very optimistically on the third day. I went out there with a very good attitude. But it proved to be another day when I got beaten by a very demanding golf course,” he said.