Boulder Classic 2026: Shubhankar Sharma Ends 8-year Title Drought With Convincing Eight-shot Victory

Boulder Classic 2026: Shubhankar Sharma ends 8-year title drought with convincing eight-shot victory (Image Source: IANS)

McLeod Russel Tour Championship: Top professional Shubhankar Sharma carded a five-under 67 to claim his seventh PGTI Tour title at the inaugural INR 1 crore Boulders Classic played at the Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club in Hyderabad.

The 29-year-old from Chandigarh dominated the week, finishing at a record 25-under 263 (66-66-64-67), eight shots clear of the field. His winning total set a new benchmark for the lowest aggregate score on the PGTI Tour.

The victory earned Sharma INR 15 lakh and marked his first win on the tour since the McLeod Russel Tour Championship in Kolkata in December 2017. It was also his first professional title worldwide in over eight years, dating back to his triumph at the Maybank Championship, a co-sanctioned event on the DP World Tour and Asian Tour in February 2018.

Sharma’s winning total of 25-under eclipsed the previous record of 24-under 264, held by Anirban Lahiri (2010), Rashid Khan (2019), Akshay Sharma (2020), and Manu Gandas (2022).

Hyderabad’s Mohd Azhar (67-70-69-65), Delhi’s Rashid Khan (67-70-66-68), and Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (68-69-66-68) shared second place at 17-under 271, finishing eight shots behind the winner. Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu (68-68-68-68), a five-time winner on the tour, secured fifth place at 16-under 272.

Manu Gandas (70-68-75-64) produced a late surge to finish tied ninth at 11-under 277 after equalling the course record with a blistering eight-under 64 in the final round. The 2022 DP World PGTI Ranking winner climbed 21 places from his overnight tied 30th position to break into the top 10.

The week saw the course record repeatedly challenged and reset. Vishesh Sharma set the early pace with a seven-under 65 in the opening round, Honey Baisoya raised the bar with an eight-under 64 in round two, Shubhankar matched that effort in round three, and Gandas capped it off by equalling the mark again on the final day.

Shubhankar Sharma started his final round with a seven-shot cushion at 20-under and closed with a five-under 67, featuring six birdies and a lone bogey.

Reflecting on his round, Sharma said, “I stuck to my game plan throughout. Even when I dropped a shot, I bounced back quickly and kept attacking. My process and mindset were solid all week.”

He remained focused despite the comfortable lead, adding, “Even with the lead, I didn’t think about easing off. Golf can change quickly, so I kept pushing and gave myself a target for the day.”

Sharma also highlighted a key early moment that set the tone for his round. “The chip-in on the second was probably my best shot of the day. It was from around 30 yards and just trickled in — that gave me a nice early boost.”

Speaking about his return to the tour, he said, “Coming back feels very comforting. The week went by smoothly, and I’m happy to be playing the way I believe I can.”

He also had praise for the venue, Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, adding, “It’s a very good course with a lot of potential. The greens were on the softer side this week, which made it more of a scoring layout, but it can play much tougher with firmer conditions.”

Speaking about his return to the tour, he said, “Coming back feels very comforting. The week went by smoothly, and I’m happy to be playing the way I believe I can.”

Yuvraj Sandhu (73-68-73-67), one of the pre-tournament favourites, and the 2025 DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion, finished tied 18th at seven-under 281.

Article Source: IANS