Patiala, 19 June (Sports Desk)
India’s top male golfer, Shubhankar Sharma, will be representing the country at the prestigious Golf National course in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This announcement comes following the International Golf Federation’s (IGF) release of its Olympic qualification list, which features 60 male and female golfers competing between August 1-4, 2024.
Shubhankar, currently ranked 222 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), secured his spot with an Olympic rank of 48. This will mark the Olympic debut for the talented golfer from Chandigarh.
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Joining him is Gaganjeet Bhullar, who qualified with an Olympic rank of 54 and will also be making his first Olympic appearance. In the women’s tournament, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar will represent India.
The 27-year-old Shubhankar, recently named Brand Ambassador for Roundglass Sports, boasts an impressive resume with two wins on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) and eight career titles. He is set to compete in the KLM Open in Amsterdam and the Italian Open, both part of the DP World Tour, later this month.
Expressing his excitement, Shubhankar Sharma stated, “It’s a privilege and honour to represent India at the Olympics. It’s a dream come true, and I have been preparing for this day for a while now. We have a strong and experienced team with Gaganjeet, Aditi, Diksha, and myself. We’re all playing solid golf on our respective tours, and that’s a positive sign. If things go our way during Olympic week, any medal is possible for both the Men’s and Women’s Teams. Personally, my game is trending in the right direction, and I am eager to deliver.”
A prodigious talent, Shubhankar turned professional in 2013 at just 16. He is currently the highest-ranked Indian in men’s professional golf and was the No.1 player in Asia in 2018. He has maintained his status on the European and Asian Tours since 2018.
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Shubhankar has participated in all the Golf Majors and achieved the best-ever finish by an Indian at The Open, the oldest golf championship in the world, tying for eighth position at the 151st Open in Liverpool last year.
His two European Tour titles include the Joburg Open and the Maybank Championships, with six other titles won on India’s top pro tour, the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
Shubhankar was honored with the Arjuna Award in 2018, the second highest sports award in India. That same year, he received the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award and won the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
