Bengaluru, February 6: Shubhankar Sharma has enjoyed a golden run over the past few months on the international stage. Nothing reflects the 21-year-old's meteoric rise more than the giant strides he's made in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) since his first European Tour win at the Joburg Open in December last year.

Unbelievable feeling winning the #MaybankChampionship and shooting 62 on Sunday is just incredible. Thanks to everyone for their support, it means a lot to me 🏆 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Cpu4m8KnEp

— Shubhankar Sharma (@shubhankargolf) February 4, 2018

When Shubhankar entered the event in South Africa he was ranked 462 in the world. His victory at the Joburg Open soon catapulted him to 226. Thereafter, his steep ascent has continued thanks to his second European Tour triumph at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia on Sunday (February 4). The win in Kuala Lumpur elevated Sharma from 193 to 72, a gain of 121 spots.

European Tour members to have won twice in first 20 starts (last 20 years):

• Luke Donald
• Jeunghun Wang
• Jon Rahm
• Shubhankar Sharma

That's it. pic.twitter.com/Jt79CXL0O2

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 5, 2018

After his win in Malaysia on Sunday, Shubhankar said, "The last two months have changed my life. I've been a member on the Asian Tour for a while and I will continue to be a member on the Asian Tour. I've always dreamt of winning and now I'm a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and European Tour.

"I'm over the moon. The last two months have been fantastic for me. I'm playing in The Open championship this year so I can't ask for anything more. Whatever happened today was fantastic.

10 birdies to win the @maybankchampio1 It was a super final round for Shubhankar Sharma 🇮🇳

Story: https://t.co/VSwpAxOq2K pic.twitter.com/7V5111zI3c

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) February 4, 2018

"It is still early in the season and I haven't thought about winning the Habitat for Humanity Standings. I'm also leading in the Race to Dubai but I'm not thinking about it because there are so many events left. If I play well enough, I will have a good chance to win the Habitat for Humanity Standings. This win is great because it opens so many doors for me. I'm also playing in The Open so I'm excited about that. All and all, it is a great day."

Shubhankar, a Chandigarh resident, who has his roots in Jammu, has now not only broken into the top-100 for the first time in his career but has also emerged as the highest ranked Indian in the world surpassing Olympian and PGA Tour regular Anirban Lahiri, who is currently placed 76th in the OWGR.

Congratulations on yet another @EuropeanTour win @shubhankargolf. The first man from India to do it. More proof just how global the game of golf has become. My very best. GP pic.twitter.com/JM4ntY23Oc

— Gary Player (@garyplayer) February 5, 2018

Sharma now also has the rare distinction of leading both the European Tour Race to Dubai and the Asian Tour Order of Merit. Shubhankar's latest success also helped him join the exclusive club of Indians who have achieved two wins in the same European Tour season, the others being Jeev Milkha Singh (2006) and Anirban Lahiri (2015).

The race to represent India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics just got a lot more intense as there are now five Indians in the top-200 of the world. With two and a half years still to go to the next Olympics, an interesting contest might ensue for the two berths on the Indian team as the likes of Shubhankar Sharma (72), Anirban Lahiri (76), Gaganjeet Bhullar (155), Shiv Kapur (192), Ajeetesh Sandhu (199) and SSP Chawrasia (226), are all in the fray at the moment.

Just woke up to see yet another stunning performance from @shubhankargolf @maybankchampio1. Super super golf! Keep the flag flying #currypower

— Anirban Lahiri (@anirbangolf) February 4, 2018