The 152nd Open: Player Blog - Shubhankar Sharma relishing Royal Troon challenge

A year on from his career-best finish in a Major Championship at The Open, Shubhankar Sharma is aiming to create further fond memories on the links at Royal Troon as the Indian continues a busy stretch of golf this summer which will feature a debut appearance at the Olympic Games.

I am really, really excited to once again play in the Open Championship. I absolutely love Scotland. They say this is golf country and I couldn't agree more. It's beautiful. I love coming here, it always feels a very relaxing week. 

Majors are for us all first and foremost the best event that you play, and The Open is my favourite. It's the oldest tournament that golf has, so it just holds that extra prestige.

Last year at Royal Liverpool was very special. I was the only player to be bogey-free on the last day. It’s probably the best round of golf of my life. I was really happy with last year’s performance – finishing in a tie for eighth – and hopefully I can do better this time.

My preparation for Royal Troon has been great. I played the course about two months ago, just before the European Swing started for us in Belgium at the Soudal Open. I went there and the members were lovely and welcomed me with open arms which was great. I played three rounds and it’s a beautiful golf course. I remember seeing it in 2016 from afar when Henrik Stenson won against Phil Mickelson which was really inspiring. I'm really grateful that I have the opportunity to play at such a historic venue.

At each of the last three Opens I've played my birthday has fallen during the week, so I have become accustomed to that! This year it happens to fall on the day of the final round. I must admit, it is quite special, although I remain focused on the golf. It’s not perhaps your average birthday where you go out with friends. But with my dad, my mum, my sister, my coach and a few of their friends out here with me it will make the week much better. This year it's on Sunday so hopefully I can make the cut, finish well over the weekend and then have a small celebration.

The Genesis Scottish Open last week again proved a perfect introduction ahead of The Open. You get used to the shot shapes that you want to hit, how the turf behaves. I’m pleased with where my game is at.

We all know how golf goes, you just have to be persistent, and wait for that purple patch - I'm pretty confident that is on the horizon. I'm playing good golf and I have done this whole year, which I'm really happy about.

I am a much better than I was when I won twice on the DP World Tour in my rookie season in 2017-18. I play week in week out around the world in tough conditions, on different grasses and have become to better understand different techniques that enable you to perform well on what it is a global schedule. I have now adapted to these requirements compared to when I first started out on Tour at 21. I was very fortunate that everything progressed really fast for me in 2018, but since then I've learned a lot. I’ve made many more friends now since my first year on Tour in 2018. You grow as the years go by, both as a person and as a player.

We all know how golf goes, you just have to be persistent, and wait for that purple patch - I'm pretty confident that is on the horizon.

Shubhankar Sharma's last ten starts on the DP World Tour

After The Open, I quickly switch my focus towards my debut at the Olympic Games. The Olympics is the biggest sporting spectacle in the world and the biggest stage that any sportsman can ask for. Anirban Lahiri has played at the Olympics twice before and he's a very close friend. It will be a real honour to represent my country.

To do so at Le Golf National which is one of my favourite courses on the DP World Tour makes it extra special. I think it has one of the best finishing stretch of holes we have in golf anywhere in the world.

There's an added responsibility in a good way that you're representing your country. While I am representing my country wherever I play, the Olympics is a different stage altogether. All the people back home will have their eyes on us. I'm really excited about the opportunity it presents for me. It’s at a course which I like, one where we have played before, so that gives me comfort as well.

It’s a very exciting time for golf in India right now. Not many people will know that golf is a very old sport in India. It was brought to India by the British. We have the oldest golf course outside of the British Isles in Kolkata, which is the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. The sport has been prevalent in India for a very long time. But it must be said people are taking greater notice of the game and picking it up more. The economy in India is growing at a very fast pace. People are earning more money and want to go into these clubs and play golf.

The number of young kids picking up the game at grassroots levels has increased ten times since when I started playing 20 years ago which is very exciting. For us professionals representing the country that makes a big difference. Playing with the best players in the world week in, week out gives a lot of confidence to kids back home who are looking up at us.

When I was growing up, I had Indian professionals to look up to in Jeev Milkha Singh who played on the DP World Tour for many years. Anirban is about nine years older than me. So, I think it's a nice little circle, natural process where new generations emerge. Every ten years you see more and more players on the international stage. I think this number is only going to go north from here. I see all the kids who are taking up this sport back home, how serious they are and now with social media and the internet, the game is more accessible than it has ever been. You will see many more superstars from India in the future who will be playing not only on the DP World Tour but in Majors consistently and making it into the top 50 in the world.

It is not just me who is a reference point for future generations. Aditi Ashok came close to a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She finished fourth and everyone took notice and that's the power of the Olympic Games. I think in some respects it resonates more than a Major Championship. Everyone knows what the Olympics is. As such that increases the magnitude of the event and the impact that it can have on young kids. The perception of the sport can change in a huge way. We saw that with Aditi and hopefully this year again. Diksha is a great player on the Ladies European Tour. She finished in the top five on their season-long rankings last year. This year she is going strong too.

In many ways I think the women's game is progressing at a faster pace back home, you have many more players not only picking up the game as young kids, but performing at every level in the junior and the amateur category and I can see more and more players going on to play golf globally. Aditi obviously is the flag bearer of this, and she's been playing on the LPGA Tour for a long time. She broke into the top 50 in the world last year. I’m very happy that we have a very good team this time who will all be doing our best for our country later this summer.

Shubhankar Sharma was speaking to the DP World Tour's Mathieu Wood.