If he was old enough, Shubhankar Sharma could probably run for mayor and win in New Delhi right now.
The 21-year-old golfing sensation wrote another chapter in his remarkable rise to fame as he shot an even-par to move into a first-place tie with Matt Wallace at the Hero Indian Open.
A late mistake cost Sharma the outright lead. He double-bogeyed No. 17, but salvaged a birdie on 18 to close with a 72.
“I’m just looking forward to playing out there again,” he said. “I just want to have fun. It’s the second week in the row I’m in the leading group. I’m going to draw from my experiences last week. I know it’s going to be a battle out there tomorrow and I’ll be ready for it.
“I kept telling my caddie that this is our home course, you can’t overpower this course. So, I told myself, just hang in there. I will hit a few bad shots and I understand that it’s all part of the game. You just have to stay patient.”
Wallace alo could have had a lead but staggered down the stretch with three bogeys between 13 and 17. He’s 7-under for the tournament, but a whopping 5-over on the back nine through three rounds.
The two have a 1-stroke lead over Stephen Gallacher, who jumped 22 spots thanks to a 67 on Saturday. Gallacher was at even par through seven holes before eagling No. 8. He shot 5-under over the last 10 holes with four birdies, the eagle and a bogey.
Day Two leader Emilliano Grillo took a nosedive on the leaderboard, shooting a 6-over 78. Grillo lost three shots in the first four holes of the tournament and was 3-over through 12 when real trouble hit. He double-bogeyed 13 and 14 back to back, then added another bogey on 15. He did birdie #18 for the third straight day to get one shot back.
