Inspired by Shubhankar, Shashwat Harish aims for the greens

Shubhankar Sharma’s quest to find home-cooked vegetarian food in whichever part of the globe he travels to, has possibly helped unearth a future golf superstar for Kenya.

A feel-good story is developing at this week’s Magical Kenya Open, a DP World Tour event at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi. It features India’s Sharma and a 15-year-old Shashwat Harish, a Kenyan amateur of Indian origin and the youngest player in the field.

Shashwat has swept a majority of junior titles in his country over the past year. His reward is one of the amateur spots in the US$2.5 million tournament.

The youngster became interested in the sport at a young age, long before Sharma appeared in his life as a powerful catalyst in 2022. When Shashwat first met the Indian ace, he was 12 and playing to a handicap of 16. Within two years, he now plays to scratch and carries the hopes of a nation.

The congenial Sharma gave him a ringside view of life as a professional golfer and was always available to answer his many deep and pertinent questions related to the sport. Equally impressed with his talent and interest, Sharma offered Shashwat to come to India, stay at his house in Chandigarh and also fixed him up with his own coach Jesse Grewal.

All this would have never happened if not for Sharma’s eternal yearning for home-made Indian food.

In 2022, Sharma, a strict vegetarian, asked some friends in London if they could help him find food he liked in Nairobi. A few phone calls were made, and a connection was established with Harish Thyagarajan, a banker, and his wife Usha, a wildlife photographer.

That was when he met Shashwat. In between serving him all the sambhar rice and other south Indian delicacies in his house, his young host transitioned from being a wide-eyed fan, to his caddy (carried the bag for nine holes when Sharma’s original caddie, Lyle, fell ill during the 2023 Kenya Open), and now to a competition for his favourite golfer.

‘Evolve’ is a word Shashwat loves to use, but this has almost been a case of rapid mutation.

“I met Shashwat and his family three years ago, and we’ve become very close friends since then. They took great care of me. He was young and we had lots of chats about him with his parents. What really impressed me was that for someone that young, he was asking all the right questions, showed a real passion for golf and wanted to work hard and improve as a player,” said Sharma, the highest ranked Indian male golfer in the world at No252 and a regular on the DP World Tour for the past seven years.

“We stayed in touch, and I introduced him to Jesse sir. He has come to Chandigarh several times and stays in our house. I have stayed in their house the last couple of years when in Kenya.

“And now he’s playing in this tournament alongside me. I’m very proud of him. I played a practice round with him, and I could see how much his game has improved. He has a good head on his shoulders. He’s gotten stronger and taller. It’s amazing to hear stories like this, and it makes me even happier that I could be a part of his journey as well.

“I think we will see a lot of him, not just in the Kenya Opens, but in other Tour events as well.”

Shashwat, who is also a very good student with an inclination for the sciences, credits Sharma and Grewal for his improvement.

“It’s just amazing when you have someone as good as Shubhankar as a mentor, knowing that you can draw on his experience and seek any advice,” said Shashwat, who opened his campaign on Thursday with a creditable round of three-over 75 on a golf course where his previous best is a 72.

“I must admit the work I have done with Jesse sir has been a game-changer. His knowledge is immense, and I like how he gives me the science behind the golf swing. It has made me understand the swing and become better.

“For this week, I will look at Shubhankar as my rival and not as a friend. He asked me to do that as well. I am not expecting anything in terms of scores or position. I just want to evolve as a player. This is a huge learning experience for me, watching all these great players from close quarters.”

Sharma doesn’t mind the competition…as long as they can feed him some rajma-chaawal.