Young Indian talent Shubhankar Sharma will be eyeing a memorable debut at the Volvo China Open when he tees off at the Beijing Topwin Golf and Country Club on Thursday.
It has been a meteoric rise for Sharma since claiming his breakthrough victory at the Joburg Open last December. The 21-year-old Indian secured his second title in Malaysia two months later and went on to finish top-10 in his World Golf Championship debut in Mexico, thereby earning an invite for his Major debut at The Masters tournament.
Sitting atop the Asian Tour’s Habitat for Humanity Standings following a victory and one top-10 result, India’s number one Sharma has established himself as one of the title favorites at the CN¥20,000,000 (approx. US$3,178,000) event, which is the oldest professional golf tournament in the Middle Kingdom.
He will spearhead the Asian Tour challenge alongside Thai stars Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thongchai Jaidee, as well as reigning Order of Merit champion Gavin Green of Malaysia, who was awarded the 2017 Sportsman of the Year by his state government last week.
Fresh from winning his fifth European Tour title in Morocco last week, Alexander Levy of France is confident of launching a successful title defence where he will also take aim at winning the tournament for a record third time this week. He is the only player to have won twice.
Local prospect Yanwei Liu reckons home comfort will provide an edge for him when he chases for glory in what will be his sixth appearance in his National Open. The 20-year-old is among the record 42 players who will represent China in the prestigious event.
The 24th edition of the Volvo China Open is tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the China Golf Association. It is staged for the third successive year at the Topwin Golf and Country Club.
Did you know?
- Shubhankar Sharma, who turned professional in 2013, is the highest-ranked Indian player on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). He sits in 73rd place.
- Sharma leads the current Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings and is placed second on the European Tour’s Race To Dubai rankings.
- Sharma claimed his breakthrough win at the Joburg Open last December when he was the only Indian player in the 210-man field. He went on to secure his second Asian Tour victory at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia in February.
- Sharma enjoyed a tied-ninth place finish when he played in his first World Golf Championship tournament in Mexico last month. Also made his Major debut at The Masters earlier this month after receiving an invite.
- Gavin Green claimed his breakthrough victory at the 2017 Mercuries Taiwan Masters and dedicated his win to his late grandfather, who passed away from heart attack the week before.
- Green notched four other top-10s, including three runner-up results, to become the first Malaysian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2017.
- Green became the first amateur to win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) following his victory in 2014.
- Green finished second place on the 2016 ADT Order of Merit to earn his Asian Tour card for 2017. Gavin also represented his country at the prestigious 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
- Green was awarded the 2017 Selangor Sportsman of the Year back home last week.
- Alexander Levy is the only player to have won the Volvo China Open twice. He lifted the trophy in 2014 and 2017. He claimed his fifth European Tour title in Morocco last week to move to 47th place on the OWGR.
- Levy represented Team Europe at the 2018 EurAsia Cup in Malaysia earlier in January.
- Liu Yan-wei is hailed as one of the rising stars from China. He rose from 1092nd place at the start of 2017 to 506th position at the end of the season, thanks to two top-10s on the Asian Tour, five top-10s on the Asian Development Tour and a tied-11th place finish on the European Tour.
- Despite the great improvements he made in 2017, the 20-year-old Liu missed the top-61 cut-off mark by one rung on the final Order of Merit, failing to secure his full Tour card for this season.
- Liu turned professional in 2015 and is making his sixth appearance at the Volvo China Open this week.
- A total of 42 local players will represent China in the 24th edition of the Volvo China Open. It is the most number of Chinese players in the field since the tournament was inaugurated in 1995.
Players’ quotes:
Shubhankar Sharma (Ind)
It is great to be here. I had the chance to visit the Great Wall of China yesterday and it was a great experience. This is my first time in China and I am really excited. I arrived at 7.45am yesterday morning from Houston and I went straight to the Great Wall after checking in to the hotel.
It will be great to have another win definitely. I have had a superb season so far. I am just trying to do the same things that I have been doing for the past few months. It’s my first time playing in the Volvo China Open. I have seen the course on television before and Jeev (Milkha Singh) won the tournament back in 2006.
Jeev and I both came from Chandigarth in India. I basically see him every day on the range when we’re back home. He’s a very good friend of mine. I look up to him since I was a kid and I believe it’s the same for other young players back home.
I remember it was a great moment for us back home when he won the Volvo China Open in 2006. He’s always good to talk to and he always has nice things to say. I met him yesterday and we caught up for a little while. He asked me how the Masters was for me and the other events in the United States.
The game’s feeling good. I haven’t really had a break. I was playing in the United States for the past few weeks. A bit of up and downs but that’s how golf is. I am feeling confident with how has transpired over the past few weeks. I know my game is there. I just need one good tournament to win again.
It was great to see Rahil winning in Japan last week. In fact, I was with Anirban (Lahiri) and we were talking about Rahil’s game and how we really wanted him to win. We were all very happy for him when he won. He’s one of the most likeable guys on Tour.
It’s good to see the recent rise of Indian golf. We have more and more good players winning out there. It’s great for the development of golf in India. If I can contribute to that in any way, I will be very happy.
It feels great to be back playing on the Asian Tour. I am leading the Habitat for Humanity Standing right now so I will try my best to play as many events as I can. This is where I started so it will be great if I can win the Order of Merit crown.
Gavin Green (Mas)
It’s been a really interesting course so far, from what I have seen. I am really comfortable with it. It looks good and it’s something that I am actually looking forward to. It’s a good track and there are a lot of good players here this week.
It will be a good week to play well in and I really want to do that. I am just going to take it hole by hole, shot by shot and do the best I can.
I won the State Athlete of the Year award back home last week. It was pretty cool. It’s a great recognition for me from the government. The game’s feeling alright. It’s improving. I went through a little bit of a quiet time. I wasn’t finishing very well.
Hopefully I can finish off strongly this week and in the next few tournaments. I have a couple of goals this year. I will try to play as many Asian Tour events as I can. I am just trying to balance my schedule as it’s very full right now.
I went to the Great Wall of China with my parents yesterday. It was my first time there. I tried to go as high up as I can. It was a great experience.
Alexander Levy (Fra)
I am very happy to be back here. Winning last week and defending my title this week feels way better than I would have imagined. I didn’t think of withdrawing from this tournament even though I won in Mororrow last week. I really like this tournament and I love to be back. I can’t ask for a better way to defend my title this week.
I still remember my celebration on the 18th last year. The memories came back when I played the hole in the pro-am today. I slept only two hours but I just had a massage earlier so I’m feeling alright now. I will be ready for tomorrow when I play with my good buddies Haotong and Kiradech.
I was supposed to fly to China on Sunday night but I had to postpone my flight as it was just too much adrenaline for me to fly that night.
If you keep thinking about your goals, you will never improve your game. For sure I want to win this tournament and become better but I need to improve my game first. I need to be a better player first.
I kept my mind in the best way that I have ever been on the golf course to win last week as the course was very tough. It’s another step forward for me so it’s very nice. I practiced really hard and I will continue to do so. The best improvement I have had this year is my mindset.
I try to be less emotional out there and just be straightforward.
Yanwei Liu (Chn)
I am pretty excited, especially playing at home this week. I always enjoy this tournament. It definitely feels more comfortable playing at home. I am really looking forward to this week.
The course is looking good. I have played this course many times. It’s playing a lot softer, fairways and greens, as compared to the past. I guess it’s due to the recent weather but having said that, I am pretty familiar with the course.
It was calm when I played in the morning yesterday but the wind started to pick up in the afternoon. I think the wind will make the course very tricky this week. Hitting it good off the tees will be the key.
It takes quite a few short irons out there but some of the greens are very slopey so you got to be really precise off the tees.
It’s an important week for me because it counts on the Asian Tour and I am trying for a good result to break into top-60 on the Habitat for Humanity Standings and get my card for the next season.
I am not going to give myself a lot of pressure although I know it’s an important week. I will just try and prepare myself to the best and see how it goes. 2017 has been a great year of improvement for me but it was yet disappointing as I missed the top-60 mark by just one rung.
Having said that, I have given myself the chance to go for it last year. This year, my biggest goal will be to break into top-60 and get my card for the next season. Seeing how much Wenchong Liang and Haotong Li have achieved in recent years have inspired me greatly. I will always try to get better and better.
