After a satisfying season, newly-crowned Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Shubhankar Sharma wants to end the year on a high with another creditable performance at the BNI Indonesian Masters starting on Thursday (13).
Sharma’s glorious run this season started with his second Asian Tour win in Malaysia in February followed by a tied-ninth finish at the World Golf Championships in Mexico in March, where he led in the second and third rounds.
He went on to play in all four Major championships this year and his season was further sweetened by three top-10s in India, Malaysia and Hong Kong which would eventually give him an unassailable lead on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.
“To be honest, I’ve been expecting too much from myself this year and it has been a numbers game from Asia to Europe and right up to the Majors,” said Shubhankar.
“But after the Maybank Championship in Malaysia, I had a good lead on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and I really wanted to finish right on top.
“Now that I’ve done it, I’m feeling very relaxed. You always want to play well in every event that you play in and for this week, I want to give my best shot and try to win,” said the 22-year-old, who was named the Rookie of the Year on the European Tour.
Shubhankar, who is the fifth and youngest Indian to win the coveted Asian Tour Order of Merit, said it was a satisfying season.
“It’s very satisfying as I’ve done what I’ve set out to do and I’m really happy. Winning the Asian Tour Order of Merit means a lot to me as it’s what all of us want to do,” said the Indian, who won the 2018 Maybank Championship and the 2017 JoBurg Open.
Talking about the tournament beginning at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club, Shubhankar said: “Obviously, I’ve played on this course many times and I do know a few things about this track. But I’m looking forward to playing well and having a good week.
“This is our home Tour and this is where we all start. This is the last event of the year on the Asian Tour and I want to play my best and sign off what has already been a very satisfying year.”
