Shubhankar to lock horns with Garcia in WGC Match Play

Austin (USA), March 20

Shubhankar Sharma will enter the World Golf Championships Match Play cauldron after being drawn into a mouth-watering opening match against reigning Masters champion Sergio Garcia on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old will also face American Xander Schauffele, the 2017 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, and South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli in Group 7 of the preliminary stage.

“I think it’s a great group. I’ve played with Xander before and I know Dylan well. It’ll be a great group with Sergio there as well. I’ll have to play my best and make as many birdies as possible,” said Sharma.

Sharma will be making his debut at the event, which is exclusive for the leading 64 players in the world. “I love match play. The last time I played (that format) was 2013 when I played my last event as an amateur; and I ended winning the event. I love match play as it’s a lot of fun and you go for a few shots which you don’t normally do in stroke play events,” Sharma added. “You have to be as aggressive as possible which is the best part about match play,” said Sharma.

Spieth, Reed in same group

Texas native Jordan Spieth will find a familiar face waiting for him in round-robin play. Spieth and Patrick Reed have teamed to great effect in two Ryder Cups and last year’s Presidents Cup, but will be meeting as match play opponents for the first time.

Sixteen groups of four will play round-robin matches from Wednesday through Friday. The winner of each group will proceed into the knockout phase to be played over the weekend.

Australian Jason Day, who won the title in 2016 after beating Louis Oosthuizen in the final, will meet the South African in the group stage this time around.

Reigning champion Dustin Johnson’s group includes Presidents Cup teammate Kevin Kisner.

The top 16 ranked players are the top seeds in their respective groups, with the other spots decided by a random draw. — Agencies