31 May 2021: It was a long time in the making. Shubhankar Sharma, by his own high standards, has been struggling to find a modicum of consistency. He may have finally solved that riddle during his sojourn at the Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort in Denmark. Not only did he manage four rounds under par, as he did in Kenya this March, but he also secured his first top ten finish since the Turkish Airlines Open in November 2019. Bernd Wiesberger played imposing golf for a final round 64 that catapulted him to a five stroke victory over Guido Migliozzi, who could only climb to 16-under par despite a thrilling 63 on Sunday.
Shubhankar extended his bogey-free run to forty holes, marching around the course with a monk like calm. The Indian went past the bend without a single blemish before unleashing four birdies over the final stretch to secure a tie for eighth place in the Made in Himmerland. He made three birdies in the last four holes as he came home to an emphatic finish, perhaps finding the kind of form that brought him so much success in the past.
The 67 in the final round helped Shubhankar close out at 13-under for the week for a tie in eighth with six other golfers including Kurt Kitayama and Ross Fisher. Marcus Armitage, Niklas Norgaard Moller, Matthias Schwab and Laurie Canter were the other gentlemen in the group.
Wiesberger secured a wire to wire victory in sensational fashion. He was ahead of the field the entire week and eight birdies on Sunday shut the door with a emphatic 64 helping the Austrian to a massive victory. Wiesberger ended the week at 21-under 263 for his eighth title on the European Tour.
Migliozzi’s 63 may have been a clinch on many Sundays, but with Wiesberger playing so well, he had to content himself with second place. Richard Bland continued his good run with a tie for third alongside fellow Englishman Jordan Smith and Aussie Jason Scrivener, locked at 15-under through 72 holes.
Victory is expected to launch Wiesberger inside the top 50 on the OWGR list on Monday. He has four titles to his name from 2019. But it was the successful defense of a title that thrilled the Austrian.
“It’s unbelievable,” Wiesberger said. “I’ve had seven chances (to defend a title) – I wasn’t successful the first six.
“I’ve said it all week, I really like it here. Playing here is good for my confidence especially after a couple of tougher weeks, so it’s a special place for me.
“It brings out the best in me. I got it going when I needed to so really enjoyable.”
Ryder Cup aspirations ought to be on the mind of Wiesberger after a successful week. “There’s a lot of golf to be played. First of all I really wanted to have a good week and start playing better golf again.
“This week really clicked for me, had a couple of good breaks on the way as well.
“Got to keep playing good golf but I would like to put my name in the vicinity of one of those spots. First things first, I need to play some more tournaments like this week and it will sort itself out.”
Migliozzi had to content himself with a second straight runner-up. He finished second to Bland in the British Masters.
“I have been playing very good the past few weeks,” he said. “I just controlled my game better today because I have a few mistakes over the last few days, but today me and my caddie worked well and it has been a great day of golf.
“We said go straight at the pin and attack. I had a good feeling so it was the right moment to attack. It gives me a lot of confidence and I am happy with where my game is at, so keep pushing and keep grinding.”
