"He can be the first Indian to win a gold in golf" - Coach Jesse Grewal on Shubhankar Sharma's chances at the Paris Olympics
India’s best-ranked male golfer Shubhankar Sharma is peaking at the right time and has a good chance to secure a gold medal in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024, feels his coach Jesse Grewal.
Notably, Grewal became India’s first golf coach to get the Dronacharya Award in the lifetime category. After 33 years of coaching, he received the coveted award from the President of India.
“I think he is going to have a good year. He has almost qualified for the Olympics and needs to maintain his level. Yes, he can be the first Indian to win a gold in golf at the Olympics as he is peaking at the right time,” Grewal told PTI.
Jesse Grewal is confident of Shubhankar’s success at the quadrennial event and he would be accompanying him with the plans of going early as part of their preparations in Europe in May and June for the mega event in Paris.
“He has a 100 per cent chance. I am just not hopeful, I know he can do it. He is a player who has some favourite golf courses and Le Golf National (2024 Paris Olympics Golf venue) is one of his favourites.” he added.
“This time we are going a bit early there. He will train in Europe from the beginning of June or May end to prepare hard for the Olympics. The focus is clearly on the Olympics. So that he is prepared in July,” he said.
“Winning gold is like winning a tournament” - Jesse Grewal
The Chandigarh-based coach went on to emphasize, terming Shubhankar a very good iron player. Additionally, he conveyed that the golfer’s skills to loft the ball into the air and land it with a minimizing roll will play a crucial role for him in the Olympics.
“His iron play has to be on song. He is a very good iron player and he has to do well with it. He has to do well with the driver. Putter and driver are the keys to create that. Iron play is his standout play and this will play a very big role at the Olympics,” he went on to state.
“So when his drivers and putters get good in a week, he is going to win. Winning gold is like winning a tournament and he can do it,” he concluded.
Shubhankar Sharma is currently ranked number 46th in the Official World Golf Rankings. As per the criteria, the top 15 players from the OWGR will automatically be eligible to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024, up to a maximum of four athletes per country.
After the top 15 OWG Rankings, two golfers from each nation can make it to the event, provided their country doesn’t already have at least two players in the top 15. Amristar-born Gaganjeet Bhullar is ranked 53 and is mathematically qualified for the mega event.
A total of 60 men's and 60 women's golfers will qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.