{"id":274684,"date":"2025-04-05T08:28:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T08:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/05\/golf-india-no-1-shubhankar-sharma-ahead-of-home-event-mentally-ive-just-become-more-relaxed\/"},"modified":"2025-04-05T08:28:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T08:28:16","slug":"golf-india-no-1-shubhankar-sharma-ahead-of-home-event-mentally-ive-just-become-more-relaxed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/05\/golf-india-no-1-shubhankar-sharma-ahead-of-home-event-mentally-ive-just-become-more-relaxed\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf: India No 1 Shubhankar Sharma ahead of home event \u2013 \u2018Mentally I\u2019ve just become more relaxed\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Golf:<\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n

In form, good shape, and playing at a course he describes as his \u2018second home,\u2019 India no. 1 Shubhankar Sharma will be vying for a first DP World Tour title since 2018 at the upcoming Hero Indian Open here starting on Thursday.<\/p>\n

After a statement-making top 10 finish at the British Open (one of golf\u2019s four Majors) last year, the Chandigarh<\/a>-based 27-year-old has been on the up, and he was in the title conversations at Singapore Classic just last week before slipping to tied-seventh.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cGlad that I\u2019m in form coming into my home event. This is our fifth major. And this is my second home. DLF<\/a> is where I played so much golf from 2012 to 2016, which were my first few years as a professional,\u201d Shubhankar told reporters here on Wednesday. \u201cI\u2019m feeling very confident this time, feeling better than I\u2019ve ever felt coming into the Indian Open.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The three-time DP World Tour winner elaborated on how he has grown as a golfer and being more relaxed is allowing him to access his best game. \u201cI think everything feels really good now. I have become a lot better in pretty much every aspect from short game to putting to my ball striking,\u201d he said. \u201cMentally I\u2019ve just become more relaxed. I think after a while and I guess that\u2019s the difference between the top players after a certain level that they manage their time in a very good way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shubhankar had once led the field of this tournament, in 2018, and he believes he has learnt plenty of lessons since then, especially on playing this course, which he has seen since its inception and noticed its evolution. He delved into what makes the course a challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rough has grown a lot, it\u2019s much thicker and lush around the fairways. The course is tough, the greens are deceptive, visually it looks very intimidating, and the tee shot matters. Finding the fairway is very important, getting out of the rough can be a big challenge here. You have to hit the fairway first, you can\u2019t be missing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old said that home advantage may, then, come into play, but not much should be made of it, especially in a strong field with 20 players in the top 200, and 41 Tour-level title winners.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Shubhankar is the highest-ranked of the 31 Indians that will tee off on Thursday, but with Anirban Lahiri, whose ranking has plummeted since playing on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour does not grant ranking points, will also be in the reckoning.<\/p>\n