Playing His Best Links Golf, Shubhankar Sharma Lies Fourth At Halfway Mark At The Open

Playing his best golf at the oldest of all Majors and in typically English conditions, India's Shubhankar Shama held his own in the company of the best golfers in the world, carding an even par 71 to share the fourth place at the Open. The Indian, who turned 27 on Friday, but put off all celebrations till the end of the week to focus on the final Major of 2023, holed a birdie on the 18th to take his total to three-under after the third round.

The day's runaway leader was American Brian Harman, who confessed hunting was his hobby and he hunted birdies like no one else, adding an eagle at the end for a six-under 65.

Harman with 67-65 moved to 10-under and opened a five-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood, a Southport native, who added a hard-fought 71 to his first round 66 to be five-under.

Sepp Straka, a man in form with two PGA TOUR win, the second of which was earlier this month at the John Deere Classic, blasted six birdies and a bogey in last seven holes and rose to sole third.

Straka, the first Austrian winner on PGA TOUR, is one ahead of Sharma (68-71) and the Australian duo of Min Woo Lee (71-68) and former World No. 1 Jason Day (72-67), all at three-under total.

Four others, including three-time Major winner and former Open champion Jordan Spieth are lurking in the Tied-seventh place at 2-under total.

Day and Spieth are the only players in the Top-10 to have won a Major.

When Sharma finished his second round, he was in Top-five and he stayed there till the end of the second round, at which point he was Tied-fourth.

The best Indian finish at a Major is Tied-fifth by Anirban Lahiri at the 2015 PGA Championship. The only other time an Indian finished in Top-10 in a Major was Jeev Milkha Singh at the 2008 PGA Championship,