Omitama (Japan) Apr 19 (PTI) Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma will return to action after a month’s break as he tees up at the ISPS HANDA Championship, which gets underway Thursday at the PGM Ishioka Golf Club.
The event is the first DP World Tour event to be co-sanctioned with the JGTO in Japan.
Sharma has been given a marquee group as he is grouped with the legend Shingo Katayama, who turned 50 this January, and the Danish veteran Soren Kjeldsen. Katayama, a five-time winner of the Japan Tour Order of Merit, has won as many 34 titles in his career, 31 of which have been on the Japan Tour. His last win came in 2017.
Sharma who has missed three cuts in last four – in between he was T-13 at his home event, the Hero Indian Open – is looking to recover the form that saw him finish T-7 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at the start of the year.
Sharma, who was 29th in the DP World Tour Rankings in 2022, is already assured of a start in the Open at the Royal Liverpool at Hoylake.
Meanwhile, the Japanese players understand the opportunity is there for the taking as this week’s winner is set to earn a two-year exemption to compete on the European flagship circuit.
One of those looking to seize the opportunity of playing in a DP World Tour event with a home-ground advantage is Rikuya Hoshino.
Hoshino is currently holding a conditional status on the DP World Tour by virtue of being the top three finishers of last season’s JGTO Money Rankings, but he wants to improve on it.
“This is important for me to play in this event and I’m so happy that I can play the course that I know well so I would like to play well and try to win,” said Hoshino, who’s now ranked 144th on the Race to Dubai.
The next generation of European stars are also looking forward to teeing it up at the event.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre excited to be visiting a new location as he returns to action for the first time since the Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa.
Meanwhile Rasmus Højgaard is relishing his first event in Japan since representing Denmark in the Olympic Games in 2021, and his return to action for the first time since February following a shoulder injury.
All eyes will be on the South African legend Ernie Els will be aiming to roll the years as he seeks a third career win in Japan.
At 53, the four-time Major winner Els showed he has plenty of gas left in the tank with a couple of impressive results of late, most notably winning the Hoag Classic on the PGA Tour Champions last month for the 76th win of his professional career.
Source: PTI News
