Apr 17, 2017: Gavin Green of Malaysia and India’s Shubhankar Sharma will continue their search for a first Asian Tour victory at the US$300,000 Yeangder Heritage next week.
The 23-year-old Green, ranked fourth on the Order of Merit, will be the highest ranked player in the newest Asian Tour event which will be played at the National Golf Country Club from April 27 to 30.
Shubhankar, the latest talent to emerge from India, will also feature in the event alongside two-time Order of Merit champion Thaworn Wiratchant, countryman Rashid Khan and Nicholas Fung of Malaysia.
Lu Wei-chih, a four-time Asian Tour winner, will spearhead the local challenge alongside Lin Wen-tang, Hung Chien-yao and Lee Chieh-po at the Yeangder Heritage, the first Asian Development Tour (ADT) event to be upgraded to Asian Tour status.
The big-hitting Green has enjoyed a stellar season so far, thanks to his second place finish at the Hero Indian Open last month, which helped secure his Asian Tour card for 2018.
He will also be motivated for a breakthrough win on the Asian Tour after losing to Fung in a play-off on the ADT in Malaysia last week.
“I’ve got no more pressure and it’s a huge improvement from my point of view as I’ve been struggling to play in the weekend. I just haven’t been able to finish it. To finish second in such a big event is such a huge thing and it will give me the confidence to do better,” said Green.
The 20-year-old Sharma, who has not missed a single cut in five appearances this year, hopes to continue his rich vein of form in the new Asian Tour event. Currently ranked ninth on the Order of Merit, the Indian is determined to build on his three top-10 results this year.
He said playing in the Maybank Championship in Malaysia with 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Anirban Lahiri has taught him a lot.
“I played for the first time in a competition with Anirban so that was great. Even though I dropped a few shots, he kept telling me to keep playing the way I am. It’s great to play with someone who’s a great inspiration to a lot of us,” said Sharma.
After securing his Tour card for next season, the talented Indian now aims to finish as high as he can on the 2017 Order of Merit. “It’s definitely a motivating factor to finish as high as I can on the Order of Merit.”
Asian Tour Release
