For one who turned pro in 2020, Kartik Sharma has done well.
Knocking on the door regularly for that breakthrough win on PGTI has given the confidence that it will come. Kartik is not ashamed to sound “arrogant”, “but that’s what I’m aiming for” and the wait is a “challenge”.
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The J&K Open affords another opportunity to pull it off, and four shots off the lead after two days, Kartik fancies himself. The angst that drives him is shared. The extreme hard work during the off-season in Gurgaon, and the pangs of separation from his parents in Lucknow were all towards making the second half of the calendar count.
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Two events down, and without a top-10 in Coimbatore and Chennai, Kartik has been severe on himself. This and the slow start (74) at the Jammu Tawi Golf Course has triggered a comeback. The climb of 21 spots to T5 is an expression of the youngster’s desire to make it all count.
There is an added incentive in play. For the first time in his short but impressive pro career, Kartik has his parents with him.
Mundane tasks are being taken care of, and that’s a welcome break, but a win is what will be cherished the most. It will be this quiet athlete’s biggest acknowledgement to those two special people who shaped him and his career in golf.
