Golfers Shubhankar, Gaganjeet all set for Olympics

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Chandigarh, June 20

Panchkula’s Shubhankar Sharma and Chandigarh’s Gaganjeet Bhullar have joined the illustrious list of Olympians golfers from India after the duo earned their berths for the Paris 2024 Olympics on the basis of the final men’s Olympic golf ranking list.

Olympic debutants Sharma and Bhullar, both Arjuna awardees and residents of Chandigarh, were placed 48 and 54, respectively, in the final Olympic golf ranking list. The list is based on the official world golf rankings, where Sharma and Bhullar are currently the top two Indians with rankings of 219 and 261, respectively. Previously, Anirban Lahiri (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020), SSP Chawrasia (Rio 2016) and Udayan Mane (Tokyo 2020) represented the nation in the Olympics.

“It’s a privilege and honour to represent India at the Olympics. It’s a dream come true. I have been preparing for this day for a while now, and now I am planning my schedule on the DP World Tour accordingly,” said Sharma.

The men’s golf event in Paris will feature 60 players and will be played at the Le Golf National from August 1 to 4. He further added that, “We have a very good and experienced team. All are playing good golf at the moment and that’s a positive sign. If Olympic week turns our way, any medal can be expected from both men and women teams. Personally, my game is trending in the right direction and I am keyed up to deliver.”

THirtysix-year-old Bhullar, a winner of 12 international titles, including one on the DP World Tour, has 11 wins on the Asian Tour — an Indian record. Bhullar, who has had a career-high world ranking of 85, has previously represented India at the World Cup of Golf in 2013 and 2018 and was part of the Indian team that won a silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games. His only major appearance came at The Open in 2009, when he became the youngest Indian to play a major at 21 years and two months of age. In the last one year, he has bagged three titles, one on the Asian Tour and two on the PGTI.

“I’m honoured to have the opportunity to represent India at the Olympics. Coming from a family of sportspersons, who have also represented India in other sports, attaches great value to the Olympics,” added Bhullar.

He further added, “I was determined to make it to the Olympics after missing out narrowly on the last two occasions, but finally achieved this major milestone in my career. The game is in good shape and I’m really looking forward to teaming up with a great talent like Shubhankar, with whom I have played a lot of golf in the past. I’m familiar with Le Golf National, the Olympic venue, as I’ve played there three times in the past. It’s a tough track. I’ll be heading to Paris next week to practice at the Olympic venue for a week in order to acclimatise to the conditions as part of my preparation.”