Shankar Das turns the clock back at Delhi Golf Club

24 March 2022: Shankar Das has not won for more than four years, actually 52 months. But he has also not been in a better frame of mind than now in these last four-odd years. Both physically and mentally.

It showed as he eschewed his driver and returned with a score of 5-under 67 at The DGC Open presented by Mastercard and had a share of the lead in the morning wave. He shares the lead with Australian Travis Smyth, who like Das is yet to win on the Asian Tour.

Das, who has seven wins on the Indian PGTI refuses to get ahead of himself, and says, “Three more rounds to go and anything can happen at DGC but I will do my best and I am feeling great.”

Das, now 39, says he has never been in a better space. He seems to have got over his back injury, which played havoc with him in 2019 and the pandemic that left him without events to play at home or outside.

“I had a tough time in 2018, 2019 and 2020. I was not playing well, had back problems and had to rest and then the virus (pandemic) put a stop to golf. But now I have practised a lot and I have a sponsor. Mr. Piyush Saraf of Power Tech Global, has supported me and he also wants me to play on the Asian Tour,” said an emotional Das. He has two teenaged school-going kids, who wish to play golf, but Das says, “They should also do well in school.”

The DGC has always been good for Das. He had a string of Top-10s at the course, and as he says, “I liked the old layout but this one is even more challenging and I like it.”

“Overall, I feel I am getting my game back because I played well in Ahmedabad where I had a couple of low rounds and also finished inside the top-10 in Bangladesh recently. This is an Asian Tour event after a long time and I want to do well,” he says.

On his first round, he added, “I did not use the driver. Actually, I was good off the tees today (used a lot of 3 wood), rescue and hit approach shots well. Chipping was not so good, but the putting today was really good for me.”

Why no driver? “I don’t want to hit a driver with rough on both sides and a narrow fairway. You make a mistake and you can have double-bogey.”

He adds, “This is a very good course. Earlier there were flat greens, but now there are more high greens. Now, not only do you have to hit the tee shot well, but you have to hit the second shot (also) really well, only then you get a chance for a birdie.”

He had six birdies against one bogey and most birdies were from close. “But there is still a long way to go,” he added at the end.