Paphos, Cyprus, Nov 2: Shubhankar Sharma rounded off a consistent week with a four straight round in the 60s, as he carded 2-under 69 and finished at 13-under 271 and ended T-14 at 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open.
It was Sharma’s best finish of the season, bettering his T-26 at the ASI Scottish Open earlier on.
Sharma who had rounds of 67-66-69-69 had as many as 17 birdies and an eagle, but he also dropped five shots. After a bogey free first round, he dropped two on second day, one on the third and three in the final round. “Still I am happy that the game and consistency are coming around,” said Sharma, who has one more event in Cyprus this coming week and the three-event swing in South Africa. “The goal is to try and get to the DP World Tour Championship finals.”
Sharma has had a busy time since European Tour resumed competition in July. He has played all but two events in last 14 weeks. But his form has shown a lot of improvement. After making just one cut in first six starts, he has made the cut in each of his last six starts with T-14 in Cyprus and T-26 in Scottish Open being the pick. This week was also the first time he has shot all four rounds in the 60s. The last time he did that was in Hong Kong in November 2018, where he finished T-sixth.
Meanwhile, Callum Shinkwin defeated Kalle Samooja in a play-off to win his first European Tour title after a dramatic final day.
Shinkwin was two shots behind the Finn as he stood on the 17th tee in regulation. A birdie on 17 edged him closer butt his chances of victory looked slim when he found rough off the tee at the par five last.
His second shot over the water took him to the edge of the putting surface and he holed an incredible 54-foot putt for eagle to take a one shot lead at 20 under par after a closing course-record 63.
Samooja left himself an eagle chance from almost exactly the same spot but a two-putt birdie meant it was extra holes at Aphrodite Hills Resort.
Shinkwin found the greenside bunker with his second shot in the play-off but got up and down for a birdie. Samooja’s three-putt from the fringe gave Shinkwin his first win in his 112th European Tour event.
The victory heralds a return to form for the 27-year-old, who lost his card in 2018 after coming close to becoming a Rolex Series winner the previous season, missing out in a play-off to Rafa Cabrera Bello at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open when a par on the 72nd hole would have handed him the title.
Welshman Jamie Donaldson, South African Garrick Higgo and Scot Robert MacIntyre finished two shots out of the play-off places on 18 under par, one clear of Australian Jason Scrivener, Finn Sami Välimäki and England’s Dale Whitnell.
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