An oft agonising eight-year wait for a title ended for Shubhankar Sharma after a commanding victory at the Boulders Classic. As the winning putt settled the contest, he allowed himself a pause before being engulfed by celebrations, with friends rushing onto the course to soak in a cherished triumph.

It was a finish that felt both cathartic and familiar in equal measure, but one that carried the weight of years spent chasing a return to the top. Reflecting on his dominant week, Shubhankar said his favourite moment came right at the end.

“It was nice to walk down the 18th knowing that I had done it after hitting my tee shot. There were many great shots that I hit, but my favorite moment was on the 18th, because that hadn’t happened in a long time,” he told Sportstar.

The 29-year-old, who has battled form and equipment challenges in recent times, said winning on home soil made the moment even more meaningful.

“Winning is always hard in golf. I’ve come very close over the years. This is special because all my friends are here. They were all there to pour beer on me; it was quite a moment on the 18th hole. It’s probably tough to recreate this if I were playing in Europe,” he said.

“This has been the best week I’ve had probably in the last four or five years. I’ve had good events abroad as well, but the amount of fun I’ve had here has been incredible.”

Shubhankar also pointed to the steady improvement in Indian golf infrastructure, while acknowledging there is still progress to be made. “We’re getting better, but there’s still a long way to go. Obviously, that requires a lot of investment, and more and more people will get into golf.”

RELATED | Shubhankar Sharma wins inaugural edition of Boulders Classic after creating PGTI history

He also reflected on the broader growth of the sport in India since the start of his career.

“The skill level here has gone so far up. Also, the PGTI prize money fund is a lot more than it used to be. Thirty lakhs was the smallest amount back when I used to play here. Now, it’s one crore — almost 2.5 times! That is a big jump. It’s an Olympic sport, and the government is also taking some interest. There are only good things for this sport in the future.”

After lifting the winner’s trophy, he also encouraged young Indian golfers to aim higher and test themselves on bigger stages.

“I would just request all the players to push themselves as much as possible. Don’t settle for average. Don’t settle for just winning a tournament. Set higher bars for yourself. We have so many international players who play here now, but there’s a lot of depth outside,” he said.

“Push yourself, invest in yourself, and go abroad to play qualifiers. Don’t get comfortable here. Use the platform PGTI provides to get on the main European tour. Go abroad during the summer holidays when there are no tournaments here. Don’t save money and sit at home.”

Published on Apr 17, 2026