Sensational Sharma takes Maybank Championship with 62
Shubhankar Sharma. Picture: Getty Images
India's Shubhankar Sharma closed with a 10-under-par 62 to win the Maybank Championship and storm to the top of the Race to Dubai.
The Indian claimed his maiden victory in just his tenth event at the Joburg Open in December and his second in his last four starts as his bogey-free round left him two clear of Spain's Jorge Campillo on 21-under-par.
He becomes just the third Indian after Jeev Milkha Singh and Anirban Lahiri to win two European Tour events in the same season and he did it is spectacular fashion at Saujana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur.
Tied for 19th, four shots behind Campillo and South Africa's Dylan Frittelli overnight, the 21-year-old rattled off four birdies in a row from the fourth to get within two strokes of the lead, then holed a long putt on the ninth to turn in 31 and cut the gap to one.
He went on to fire five birdies on the back nine to claim the €400,930 winner's cheque and a 119,320-point lead over Tommy Fleetwood at the top of the Race to Dubai.
“The last two months have changed my life," said Sharma, whose closing 62 equalled the tournament best carded by Lee Westwood on Friday. "I’ve always dreamt of winning and now I’m a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and European Tour."
The best of Sharma's winning round in 90 seconds.#MaybankChampionship pic.twitter.com/u81jDovhp0
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 4, 2018
Campillo shot 68 to finish second with compatriot Pablo Larrazabal and New Zealander Ryan Fox posting 66s to share third.
Darren Clarke earned €3,578 for 81st place despite missing the secondary cut.
The Dungannon man (49) made his first European Tour cut for 18 months on Friday but with 81 players making the weekend, the field was cut to the top 72 and ties after the third round.
Eight players got the chop with Clarke at the bottom of the pile after a 79.
Maybank Championship, Saujana Golf and Country Club (Par 72)
267 S Sharma (Ind) 70 69 66 62,
269 J Campillo (Esp) 69 66 66 68,
270 R Fox (Nzl) 68 68 68 66, P Larrazábal (Esp) 70 70 64 66,
272 N Bertasio (Ita) 68 65 70 69, D Frittelli (RSA) 69 66 66 71, K Joshi (Ind) 67 70 65 70, R Ishikawa (Jpn) 74 66 63 69, H Tanihara (Jpn) 71 64 68 69,
273 B Henson (USA) 69 68 65 71,
274 P Peterson (USA) 69 70 65 70, M Kieffer (Ger) 69 66 71 68, R Wattel (Fra) 67 73 65 69, M Pavon (Fra) 70 67 70 67, L Westwood (Eng) 72 62 70 70, J Luiten (Ned) 72 68 66 68,
275 A Sullivan (Eng) 71 66 71 67, S Jamieson (Sco) 68 69 69 69, D Lipsky (USA) 67 68 71 69, P Khongwatmai (Tha) 68 65 70 72, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 66 71 67 71, B Hebert (Fra) 69 70 65 71,
276 T Detry (Bel) 68 68 69 71, P Pittayarat (Tha) 72 66 70 68, S Kapur (Ind) 70 67 67 72, D Kataoka (Jpn) 68 67 72 69,
277 C Paisley (Eng) 65 69 72 71, G Bhullar (Ind) 68 71 66 72, K Aphibarnrat (Tha) 69 70 72 66, A Johnston (Eng) 67 71 68 71, P Marksaeng (Tha) 71 65 67 74, J Pagunsan (Phi) 68 70 73 66, Y Miyazato (Jpn) 71 67 66 73,
278 J Colomo (Esp) 71 67 70 70, D Boonma (Tha) 70 66 71 71, A Atwal (Ind) 67 71 68 72, C Shih-Chang (Tpe) 68 69 73 68, D Horsey (Eng) 66 70 72 70,
279 S Vincent (Zim) 71 68 71 69, Y Ikeda (Jpn) 70 64 71 74, G Green (Mas) 68 69 69 73, T Jaidee (Tha) 69 67 69 74, A Otaegui (Esp) 69 71 69 70, P Meesawat (Tha) 74 66 70 69, J Janewattananond (Tha) 68 71 70 70, S Gallacher (Sco) 70 65 73 71, S Kjeldsen (Den) 69 67 71 72, S Lee (Kor) 67 69 71 72, T Bjørn (Den) 68 68 69 74,
280 J Randhawa (Ind) 67 71 71 71, M Tran (Vie) 73 65 70 72, G Storm (Eng) 72 68 69 71, A Nazrin (Mas) 70 68 74 68, T Wiratchant (Tha) 70 70 69 71,
281 S Chawrasia (Ind) 69 71 71 70, M Manassero (Ita) 70 68 70 73, S Yates (Sco) 72 66 74 69, A Dodt (Aus) 71 65 74 71, A Levy (Fra) 67 70 73 71,
282 F Zanotti (Par) 68 69 75 70, H Stenson (Swe) 72 67 73 70,
283 M Southgate (Eng) 73 66 72 72, S Kim (USA) 71 69 71 72, J Wang (Kor) 70 70 70 73, A Connelly (Can) 71 69 73 70, R Ramsay (Sco) 71 68 73 71,
284 M Warren (Sco) 68 66 69 81, A Lascuna (Phi) 69 68 72 75,
285 J Smith (Eng) 70 68 74 73,
286 R Wannasrichan (Tha) 70 70 72 74, J Norris (Aus) 71 69 73 73,
287 K Horne (RSA) 71 68 74 74,
288 D Im (USA) 69 71 73 75,
SECONDARY CUT
214 C Hanson (Eng) 68 70 76, N Fung (Mas) 71 69 74,
216 B Leong (Mas) 69 70 77, C Pigem (Esp) 69 71 76 0, M Siem (Ger) 69 71 76,
217 R Karlsson (Swe) 68 68 81
218 E Pepperell (Eng) 69 69 80,
219 Darren Clarke (Nir) 72 68 79.
