Shubhankar ready for the big guns

Despite banking close to $700,000 with his two victories since December, Shubhankar Sharma has kept his feet firmly grounded, even if it meant flying halfway around the world on economy class for his maiden World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship this week.

The 21-year-old enters the $10 million showpiece as the no. 1 ranked golfer on both the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and Asian Tour’s Habitat for Humanity standings but he is happy to fly under the radar as the game’s elite gathers at Golf Club de Chapultepec.

A year ago, Sharma was up in the middle of the night to watch the WGC-Mexico Championship, won by Dustin Johnson, but victories at the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship, both sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours, have propelled him into the limelight.

“It’s really exciting to be here. This is the biggest event I’ve ever played in. I’m looking forward to it,” said Sharma, who will play the opening two rounds with Malaysia’s Gavin Green and American Chan Kim.

The son of an army colonel, Sharma won in South Africa with a 23-under winning total which included a 61 in the second round in December and followed up with a second title in Malaysia after a closing 62 gave him a 21-under winning total.

“I wouldn’t have imagined myself playing on the European Tour, let alone a WGC event. That’s how the game is. When you play good, anything is possible. You need those small breaks and I got those breaks in Johannesburg and Malaysia. That shows you anything is possible. You just have to keep working hard,” said Sharma.

With full playing status in Europe and Asia, Sharma said he is learning to adapt to being in the company of the game’s marquee names and conceded he was star-struck when he teed up in Abu Dhabi and Dubai earlier this year.

 “I’m getting used to it. Seeing Rory (McIlroy), Dustin (Johnson), all these guys in the Middle East, I was a bit star-struck. I’ve got to step it up and play my own game.

“It’s great to be playing in these events with all these great players. Up to last year, I was watching these players on TV and now playing here this week is a dream come true.”