Shubhankar Sharma finishes tied seventh in Rome; becomes highest-ranked Indian golfer in world
Golfer Shubhankar Sharma rounded off the week with a three-under 68 for a total of nine-under 275 to jump six spots from tied-13 to finish tied seventh at the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday. Shubhankar is now the highest-ranked Indian golfer in the world with Rashid Khan occupying the second spot.
Golfer Shubhankar Sharma rounded off the week with a three-under 68 for a total of nine-under 275 to jump six spots from tied-13 to finish tied seventh at the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday. The result lifted Shubhankar 70 places in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) from 336 to 266, thus making him the highest-ranked Indian in the world once again. Rashid Khan is now the second-highest ranked Indian at 268 while Gaganjeet Bhullar occupies the third spot on the list at 275.
Shubhankar, with 21 birdies and an eagle, topped the chart for strokes gained from approaches but the 23-year-old was also guilty of giving away as many as a dozen bogeys and a double bogey to slip out of title contention. However, he would be happy with the final standing as it was his first top-10 finish outside India since a tied sixth finish at the Hong Kong Open more than 11 months ago. His only top-10 this year has been tied second on the Indian PGTI Tour in Haryana in February.
Shubhankar also gained 33 spots in the European Tour Race to Dubai Rankings as he moved up to 80 and he now needs a final push to get into top-50 for a start in the DP World Tour Championships next month.
Among the other Indians in the field, SSP Chawrasia also fired a 68 in the last round to gain eight places and finish tied 57th at one-over-285 while Gaganjeet Bhullar had missed the cut.