January 21, 2023: Shubhankar Sharma continues to showcase his growing maturity as a golfer. His journey this week in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship has been nothing but revealing. Playing with renewed purpose and belief, the Indian has stuck to his task with determination. In the third round, he produced a disciplined 69 to remain three back from the leaders. Shane Lowry joined Min Woo Lee and Francesco Molinari at the top of the leaderboard at 13-under.
Lowry shot a six-under-par round of 66, including an eagle on the sixth hole. Overnight leader Molinari remained at the with a 69. Min Woo Lee threw his hat in the ring with a 66, much like Lowry.
“I had 162 yards and looked like at the time there wasn’t much wind, it was just a nice 8-iron. I was just trying to cut it off the flag but hit it straight at it. Once bouncing in, it was a Brucie Bonus because I had given myself a few chances early doors and didn’t really hole much,” said Lowry.
“It felt great to be honest, especially at 17. I didn’t hit that bad a shot on 17. It just never really moved in the wind. You know, it was one of the only times I was out of position all day, really, so you kind of have to take that.
“It’s nice to go out on a Saturday, in tricky conditions coming in on the back nine and to put myself in there for tomorrow is pretty nice.
“First tournament of the year, you don’t know what’s going to happen. My thing would be I try and give myself as many chances to win as I can, and at some stage, hopefully it happens.”
Shubhankar made the most of the pleasant weather around Yas Links. He started his round with a string of pars, before posting his first birdie of the day at the seventh hole.
After making the turn, Shubhankar added back-to-back birdies at 10 & 11. The bogey at the twelfth proved to be the only blemish on his card. He finished the day with a four on the par-5 18th hole, where he made a six on Friday.
The final group on Sunday will consist of past Rolex Series winners. Lowry will be hoping that he can repeat his 2019 feat when he won the Falcon Trophy for the first time.
Chasing the three men will be Scotland’s Grant Forrest, Frenchman Victor Perez, and Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg. Those golfers are all just one back and will open Sunday looking for a maiden Rolex Series victory on the DP World Tour.
