Shubhankar set for Open debut, Lahiri ready for another crack

Carnoustie, July 18: Young Shubhankar Sharma will look to make his first Major cut this week when he becomes the latest Indian golfer to tee off at The Open starting here on Thursday. With experienced Anirban Lahiri making his sixth appearance at the Open, it will be only the third time that two Indians will be teeing up at the Open, the first being in 2004, when both Jyoti Randhawa was T-27 and Arjun Atwal missed the cut.

Then in 2012, when Lahiri made his debut, veteran Jeev Milkha Singh also played in it as they finished T-31 and T-69 respectively. Sharma, who turns 22 on Saturday, will hope to stay on and tee up in the third round. He has already played the Masters, on a special invite, and the US Open after coming through the qualifiers.

“Both were great experiences,” says Sharma, “but now I want to do better than just tee up on first two days.” His coach, Jesse Grewal, and father, Col ML Sharma, who has been a mentor and inspiration for the young lad, are with him, as is Vicky, the Indian caddie, who was on the bag, when he won the Malaysian Championships earlier this year.

“So, the 'A’ team is here,” he says with a smile. Lahiri too will be hungry for success after missing the first two Majors of 2018. He would hope the familiarity and comfort with the Open Championships will keep him relaxed as he chases glory. The 31-year-old has made the cut three times with T-30 at St. Andrews in 2015 as his best.

Anirban Lahiri in his sixth Open Championship and Shubhankar Sharma in his first present an interesting mix of experience and curiosity.#TheOpen #GoGolf #GrowGolf #GolfingIndian pic.twitter.com/6hYceKSlft

— Golf In India (@golfingindian) July 18, 2018

But his memories are from 2012, when he made his debut at Royal Lytham and registered a hole in one in the third. “That was great and my Dad still has the ball and it is part of treasured memorabilia,” he says.

Lahiri, who was crowned the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015, but won his last title at the Hero Indian Open, said, “There is a feeling of familiarity at The Open. This is the Major championship which I have played the most number of times.

"I was telling my caddy (Neeraj Sareen) that I even recognised one of the security guards here. I don’t feel out of place at The Open. Everything is set up like it has always been so it feels really nice to be back.”

Lahiri’s best at a Major was at the 2015 PGA Championships, when he finished a solid T-fifth. "For me, the more important thing is to play well. I want to do better than what I have done before. I know I can do that because I have contended in Majors in the past. I am getting a lot of confidence from the golf I am playing right now.

On his preparations, he said, “It is not the typical Open, which used to be wet and cold so that makes me more comfortable. The course also reminds me a bit of the Delhi Golf Club, where one can keep hitting two-Irons and keep the ball in play,” Lahiri added.

Lahiri has been plying his trade on the PGA Tour since 2015. He has captured three top-10 finishes so far this season. “It has not been the typical preparation for me. I usually play the Scottish Open and then The Open but this time, I came straight from the United States. Also for logistical reasons, I have played only 18 holes. Normally I would have played 36 by now. But having said that, I am still very comfortable in that I have not overplayed. There is no nervousness,” he said.

Come tomorrow, Sharma will play the first round in the afternoon alongside the highly rated, Bryson DeChambeau and 2016 Masters champion Sergio Garcia and they will be one group before Tiger Woods, Hideki Matsuyama and local man, Russell Knox. Lahiri, on the other hand, will tee off with Peter Uihlein and Matt Kuchar at 9.47 am, one group ahead of defending champion, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Kiradech Aphibarnrat.