	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE 147TH OPEN

July 21, 2018

Shubhankar Sharma

Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

Q. Talk about some of your round, how you enjoyed the day, and how was it out on the golf course.
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: It was a great day. Would have liked to have played a little bit better than I did. But, again, I'm very happy that I'm playing today. Had to really grind out a great round yesterday to make it to the weekend, and I thought I played pretty well today, just didn't make enough putts. And even though I made that birdie on the 2nd, which was a good start, I couldn't really capitalize on that start.

That's all right. That's golf. I'm pretty happy with the way I'm playing, and hopefully tomorrow there will be high winds. My hitting was decent today, much better than the previous day. If I could just keep hitting the ball the way I did today and putt a little bit better, tomorrow will be a better day than today.

Q. Can you just tell us what happened in the middle part of the round? Because you started off really well and you finished, again, really well. What was going wrong in the -- what were you unhappy about?
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: I just wasn't making enough putts. I think I hit it pretty good in the first five, six holes. I was hitting it pretty close. That birdie on the 2nd was wonderful. I just needed one more before the 6th hole. Even after the 6th hole, if I would have been 2-under, that would have been a good start. Conditions were very, very scoring today. There was no wind at all compared to the first two days.

So I think, yeah, just in the middle of the round, I just went to sleep, didn't make enough putts, and that happens in golf. Then had a bad lie on the 9th hole, and the ball just -- didn't think it would shoot left the way it did, but it did. Made a bogey. Couldn't judge the lie on the 10th hole as well.

Like I said, it's all part of the game. I was really happy with the way I finished. Would have been better if I made that putt, but didn't hit it where I thought the line was, and it broke too much. I'm pretty happy with the way things are, and should be a better day.

Q. One thing about the greens, did you have a problem reading the greens? They were just kind of kissing the green and sliding left, and a couple of them, you left short?
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: It is pretty tough to read the greens, especially later in the round. It's not easy to win the greens because there are some very, very subtle slopes here which are very tough to see. I felt like I putted well in the first two, three holes, but after that, my stroke wasn't too good until I got it back after the 14th. And after that, I thought I putted well. Just saw some wrong lines. But the stroke wasn't consistent enough for 18 holes, and I think that is very important if you want to make putts.

Every putt seems like it's on a neck. You can't really miss it by much. It will just kiss the hole and miss. You have to hit it exactly where the line is, and the stroke has to be consistent. Hopefully, it is tomorrow, and I'll be able to make more putts tomorrow.

Q. Some of the pins there were kind of on a slope and all that. So the pins were pretty tough?
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: I think the pins were easy compared to the first two days. They were very, very accessible. Today was actually moving day. We saw Justin Rose at 7-under par. It was easily doable. So many of these first few holes or pins were just in the front until No. 5, which are pretty easy. Even No. 7 was easy. 8 was easy. 9 with that green was, I think, accessible. You can drop it short and get it to the pin.

So I think the pins are pretty decent, and with no wind, it was a scoring day today.

Q. Can you get into the mindset like you were in Malaysia and shot 10-under on the final day. What do you have to do to get in that kind of zone? Obviously, playing well aside, what do you have to think and what do you have to do to get in that kind of zone for a good final round?
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: I think I need more feel in my putting. That feel factor is missing. It's just too mechanical. I'm trying to see the line, trying to roll it over the line. I just need that feel in my hand that everything is -- I can look at the hole and not really have to align the ball. I can just look at it the old-school way and try and make putts.

Today I felt like I was getting too much into the line and then my stroke was being affected. I wasn't really rolling it. Then I missed a few putts, and I lost some confidence. So I just need more feel. I'm just looking for that, and tomorrow hopefully I'm going to get that.

Q. Can you think of a better way to spend a birthday than playing 18 holes here?
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: This is the best birthday gift for me, just playing at The Open. Perfect -- it wasn't like yesterday. Perfect weather for us today. It's the best way to spend my birthday.

Q. Good wishes on your birthday. Anyone stood out for you? Any special one spur you on today?
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: So many of them. When I woke up in the morning, I couldn't see all of them. I saw the post by the Asian Tour, which was really nice, and a few other posts. I spoke to my mom and my sister back home. I didn't really want to answer to everyone in the morning because I had to play, but I'll obviously go and see all the messages now. I was really happy with all the support you got.

Q. Happy birthday.
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: Thank you.

Q. Just one more thing: On the 16th hole, I believe you hit a 5 iron yesterday, and it went over the green, and today you hit a 2 iron and left it short. But you said there was not enough wind. Was that particular hole a little bit more windy?
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: The wind switched today. The thing was yesterday it was playing tailwind. So a 5 iron, it dropped just out of the bunker and rolled on and just rolled over to the left. But today it was slightly head, compared to what we played yesterday. When I look back at it, it should have been a 4 iron short for me. The swing I made on the 17th, on that tee shot, I just needed to make the same swing, and it would have gone near the pin.

But I just wanted to hole something against the wind. It was slightly to the right, and it was about 230 to the pin. I thought, if I could just land it on the green with a slight fade, that would be a good shot. Again, that wasn't the right shot. And, obviously, the wind was different today. Even on the 18th, the ball didn't go anywhere compared to the first two days.

And tomorrow if the wind stays the same and if it's stronger, it will be just be a tougher finishing stretch for everyone.

Q. What are you planning to do later?
SHUBHANKAR SHARMA: I will go and practise, try and get my putting going, and then evening will just relax and have dinner.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297