India’s Shubhankar Sharma arrives at this week’s BNI Indonesian Masters presented by BTN, PT.Lautan Luas.Tbk and Bank Mandiri as the Asian Tour’s number one player having captured the Habitat for Humanity Standings (the circuit’s money list) title at the weekend.
Although he did not play in the South African Open last week the final results there ensured the Indian now has an unassailable lead on the standings heading into this week’s season-ending event at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
The race to be number one was heating up following outstanding performances by Korea’s Sanghyun Park and South Africa’s Justin Harding. However, Sharma had one hand on the coveted trophy after he finished tied-sixth at the Honma Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi in November.
And with Park not playing in South Africa and Harding missing the cut, Sharma became the fifth Indian to claim top spot.
He has emulated countrymen Jyoti Randhawa (2002), Arjun Atwal (2003), Jeev Milkha Singh (2006 and 2008) and Anirban Lahiri (2015).
In November he also became the first Indian to emerge as the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year on the European Tour.
England’s Justin Rose – this week’s defending champion – and Swede Henrik Stenson are the star attraction’s this week.
But all of the Asian Tour’s top players have made the trip to Jakarta, including Lahiri who won here in 2014, and Japan’s Shugo Imahira, winner of this year’s Money List in Japan.
Imahira claimed a total of ¥139,119,332 (approx. US$1,234,545) in Japan this year.
He won the Money List title for the first time thanks to victory in the Bridgestone Open, and six other top-five placings.
