21 October 2018: After a rousing 64 on Saturday, it was time for some philosophical healing for Shubhankar Sharma. The 22-year-old scrambled to a 74 in the final round to end the week at 1-under 287. Shubhankar endured a double bogey at the par-5 ninth besides four other bogeys. He also made four birdies but it wasn’t enough to offset the damage. Sharma will be disappointed to have not converted his good work on Saturday into a high finish in the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges.
Shubhankar was hoping to build his case for a life on the PGA TOUR but that will have to wait for another time. He is performing some magical work at times, as he did in Malaysia to contend for the title before settling for a top 10.
The young man offered another glimpse into his brilliance when he shot nine birdies on Saturday without any warning. As we have witnessed several times this season, he is clearly capable of matador like rounds that can alter the shape of his results.
In recent weeks though, he is navigating a rough patch of form. He missed the cut in four of his last six events. And while the result at the CIMB Classic suggested a reversal in form, he needs to put in some more work to iron out the chinks that seem to have crept up on him.
While Shubhankar enjoyed great accuracy off the tee, making 48 of 56 fairways he seemed to struggle with his scrambling and putting. A driving accuracy rate of nearly 86% set against a scrambling rate of only 48% hurt him in Korea.
Shubhankar was T58 on the count of greens in regulation, making 51 of 72, translating to 71%. His putts per GIR was 1.882, leaving him T63 against the field. He made 19 birdies this week, but also conceded 14 bogeys and two double bogeys.
Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shubhankar will carry Indian hopes on their shoulders when the WGC HSBC Champions starts on the 25th October at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai.
- In this article
- Pros
- CJ CUP
- Nine Bridges
- pga tour
- shubhankar sharma
