Shubhankar finishes tied 20th; Lahiri 58th at Colonial golf

Team Udayavani, May 29, 2018, 8:58 AM IST

Fort Worth (US): India’s Shubhankar Sharma carded three-under 67 on the final round to finish a creditable tied 20th, but his senior compatriot Anriban Lahiri ended far behind at tied 58th spot at the Fort Worth Invitational golf tournament at the Colonial here. 

The 21-year-old Subhankar had two three-putts on front nine and missed three putts, two of them for pars and one for a bogey, inside seven feet to finish six-under 274 for the week. 

Lahiri endured a disappointing weekend here, with rounds of 68-69 to register a total of two-under 268. 

Justin Rose continued his fine run as he closed with a six-under 64 and finished at 20-under for a three-stroke victory over defending US Open champion Brooks Koepka. 

It was the ninth career PGA win for 37-year-old Rose. He also rose from world no. 5 to world no. 3 and if he wins at the Memorial, he could reach the no. 1 position.

The finish at Fort Worth was Shubhankar’s second best finish on the PGA Tour after his tied 9th in WGC-Mexico. 

It also broke a series of missed cuts in America for Shubhankar, who missed the cut twice in Texas and the Masters before this. Next on the cards for him is the Memorial.

Shubhankar had an eventful start with back-to-back birdies, followed by a bogey-birdie-bogey-par-birdie sequence. He turned in two-under 33 and then started the back nine with a double. He made up with birdies on 11th, 13th and 15th for a round of 67. 

Shubhankar had seven birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey.

It was a decent round. I started with two birdies and then 3-putted on third and again on fifth. That was disappointing. I was still two-under for front nine,” Shubhankar said. 

“I started the back nine badly with a double. It was a pretty easy one actually from the bunker, but I duffed it and left it there and failed to make the up and down and ended with a double.

Overall a good week, but it could have been much better, but I am happy the game is trending in the right direction and I am playing the Memorial next week, so look forward to that, he added.

As for the highlights of the day, Shubhankar mentioned, On the fourth, a par-3, I hit to two feet for a birdie and again on 15th from the bunker and 150 yards out, I hit to two feet for a birdie. I also had good putts on 11th and 13th. 

Lahiri, with four birdies and one each bogey and double bogey, shot 69 and finished tied 58th. 

It was a disappointing weekend at one my favourite venues on the Tour. Hopefully, it will become better, said Lahiri.

Rose, who started the final day four shots ahead, was never really in danger despite Koepka matching his birdies on first and second. 

Koepka turned in flawless four-under, but Rose, despite a bogey on third, turned in five-under as he birdied three in a row from fifth and then added another on ninth, which was his sixth birdie on front nine. 

On the back nine, he birdied 11th and 15th and could afford a bogey on 18th and still win by three. Koepka had four birdies on back and a closing bogey on 18th.

Koepka, on a comeback after a long lay-off due to injury, shot his second 63 of the week for a total of 17-under 263 to finish second. 

Emiliano Grillo carded 64 to finish third at 16-under.

Jordan Spieth birdied the 18th hole for a closing 68 to finish five-under for a tied 32nd spot.