Shubhankar Sharma’s quest to seek out home-cooked vegetarian meals in whichever a part of the globe he travels to, has probably helped unearth a future golf famous person for Kenya.
Shubhankar Sharma and Shashwat Harish are collaborating on the Magical Kenya Open in Nairobi. (HT)
A feel-good story is growing at this week’s Magical Kenya Open, a DP World Tour occasion at Muthaiga Golf Membership in Nairobi. It options India’s Sharma and a 15-year-old Shashwat Harish, a Kenyan novice of Indian origin and the youngest participant within the subject.
Shashwat has swept a majority of junior titles in his nation over the previous 12 months. His reward is without doubt one of the novice spots within the US$2.5 million match.
The teen took an interest within the sport at a younger age, lengthy earlier than Sharma appeared in his life as a strong catalyst in 2022. When Shashwat first met the Indian ace, he was 12 and enjoying to a handicap of 16. Inside two years, he now performs to scratch and carries the hopes of a nation.
The congenial Sharma gave him a ringside view of life as knowledgeable golfer and was at all times accessible to reply his many deep and pertinent questions associated to the game. Equally impressed together with his expertise and curiosity, Sharma provided Shashwat to come back to India, keep at his home in Chandigarh and likewise fastened him up together with his personal coach Jesse Grewal.
All this is able to have by no means occurred if not for Sharma’s everlasting craving for home-made Indian meals.
In 2022, Sharma, a strict vegetarian, requested some mates in London if they may assist him discover meals he preferred in Nairobi. Just a few telephone calls have been made, and a connection was established with Harish Thyagarajan, a banker, and his spouse Usha, a wildlife photographer.
That was when he met Shashwat. In between serving him all of the sambhar rice and different south Indian delicacies in his home, his younger host transitioned from being a wide-eyed fan, to his caddy (carried the bag for 9 holes when Sharma’s authentic caddie, Lyle, fell unwell through the 2023 Kenya Open), and now to a contest for his favorite golfer.
‘Evolve’ is a phrase Shashwat loves to make use of, however this has nearly been a case of fast mutation.
“I met Shashwat and his family three years ago, and we’ve become very close friends since then. They took great care of me. He was young and we had lots of chats about him with his parents. What really impressed me was that for someone that young, he was asking all the right questions, showed a real passion for golf and wanted to work hard and improve as a player,” mentioned Sharma, the best ranked Indian male golfer on this planet at No252 and an everyday on the DP World Tour for the previous seven years.
“We stayed in touch, and I introduced him to Jesse sir. He has come to Chandigarh several times and stays in our house. I have stayed in their house the last couple of years when in Kenya.
“And now he’s playing in this tournament alongside me. I’m very proud of him. I played a practice round with him, and I could see how much his game has improved. He has a good head on his shoulders. He’s gotten stronger and taller. It’s amazing to hear stories like this, and it makes me even happier that I could be a part of his journey as well.
“I think we will see a lot of him, not just in the Kenya Opens, but in other Tour events as well.”
Shashwat, who can also be an excellent pupil with an inclination for the sciences, credit Sharma and Grewal for his enchancment.
“It’s just amazing when you have someone as good as Shubhankar as a mentor, knowing that you can draw on his experience and seek any advice,” mentioned Shashwat, who opened his marketing campaign on Thursday with a creditable spherical of three-over 75 on a golf course the place his earlier greatest is a 72.
“I must admit the work I have done with Jesse sir has been a game-changer. His knowledge is immense, and I like how he gives me the science behind the golf swing. It has made me understand the swing and become better.
“For this week, I will look at Shubhankar as my rival and not as a friend. He asked me to do that as well. I am not expecting anything in terms of scores or position. I just want to evolve as a player. This is a huge learning experience for me, watching all these great players from close quarters.”
Sharma doesn’t thoughts the competitors…so long as they’ll feed him some rajma-chaawal.