Ranked 113th last month and way outside the cut mark of top-50 that would earn him a spot in Dubai, Sharma has improved to 61st in the subsequent four tournaments. That run was kickstarted by a tied seventh-place finish in the Italian Open, and on Sunday, at the Turkish Airlines Open, he finished with a superb bogey-free eight-under-par 64 to replicate that tied seventh finish again.

Those efforts have earned him a place in the Nedbank Challenge, the penultimate event of the season where only the top-60 players from the Race to Dubai get in (the 76th ranked player is in this week to complete the field of 60).

The 23-year-old was the toast of golf world early last year, when he won the Joburg Open and the Maybank Championship, and then led the WGC-Mexico Championship against some of the biggest names in the game going into the final round.

But after playing the Masters last year on a dream special invitation, his career flight trajectory spiralled downwards for various reasons – the foremost being a punishing schedule that saw him play week after week in an effort to secure a PGA Tour card.

He did manage to finish 28th in the Race to Dubai in the end, but his ranking dropped from a career-high 64 to 330 at the end of September this year.

There were signs at this year’s Open Championship in Portrush that Sharma’s game was getting back in the groove. At the BMW PGA Championship, he finished T17, which could have been much better but for an ugly triple-bogey eight on the par-5 fourth hole on the opening day.

When he reached Rome for the Italian Open, the gun, as far as qualifying for the DP World Tour Championship is concerned, was against his head.

With his back against the wall, Sharma has turned into a birdie machine. In the 16 rounds since the Italian Open, he has made 81 birdies, which is second only to Joachim B Hansen’s 83 on the European Tour in that period.

“It’s been a while since I have felt this comfortable on the golf course. I have had some issues or the other and while I would get into a hot stretch once in a while and make a few birdies in a bunch, I was not making enough of them,” said Sharma, who has now improved to No237 in the world in the past one month.

“I changed my driver (to a PING G410) in Rome, with which I am getting a lower ball flight and I have been able to hit more fairways. And my iron play has been really good in this last one month.

“I desperately want to make it to the DP World Tour Championship. Being in Dubai at this time of the year shows that you are among the elite of the European Tour. If you make it, it shows that irrespective of the results, you have had a good season.”

Sharma feels he has a slight advantage at the Gary Player Country Club this week. Johannesburg, and South Africa, is very close to his heart, having secured his first international win in late 2017 at the Joburg Open, which was played at Randpark Golf Club.

“I love South Africa and the reasons are obvious. But apart from the happy memories, there are a few other things that should help me in Sun City,” added Sharma.

“My caddie, Dean Smith, is from South Africa, and he knows the course well. I have also played it last year and I am more aware of its intricacies and the effects of altitude there. And most importantly, I am playing well and will take a lot of confidence from Turkey to there.

“As is evident from my scores, I am making a lot of birdies, which is always a good thing. I now have to sharpen up a few things and try to minimize the mistakes that are leading to bogeys. I seem to have a couple of holes these last few events that I have played badly.

“Hopefully, everything will come together and I will be flying in to Dubai next week.”

The $7.5 million Nedbank Challenge, which offers a whopping winner’s cheque of $2.5 million, starts on Thursday. The top-50 players in the Race to Dubai after that make it to the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth course in Jumeirah Golf Estates the following week.

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It’s an annual tradition at Golf World. Our “Newsmakers of the Year” package has helped cap the year in golf now for more than two decades. From our former print magazine to our current digital publication, readers have been treated to a thoughtful review of the previous 12 months, our writers returning to the players, events and moments that helped define our sport in hopes of offering a hearty encore to the season. During the next two weeks, we’ll continue the tradition by unveiling the top 25 Newsmakers of 2018—Nos. 25 to 11 from Dec. 3-7 and Nos. 10 to 1 from Dec. 10-14. There will be a few no brainers—spoiler alert: U.S. Open and PGA champion Brooks Koepka makes our list—but also some storylines that are less obvious but, we think, no less worthy of our collective appreciation. So come back each day to see who makes our list as we countdown to our No. 1 Newsmaker of 2018. —Ryan Herrington

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Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

No. 20: Backstopping

Backstopping as a routine isn’t entirely new on the PGA Tour, but it became more out in the open in the fall of 2017. That’s when Justin Thomas confessed his right to play faster even if it means taking advantage of a ball near the hole and not waiting for it to be marked. The previously little-spoken occurrence gained more attention in June when Jimmy Walker found himself at the center of a firestorm after saying, “If you don’t like a guy you will mark anyway. If you like the guy you might leave it to help on a shot. Some guys don’t want to give help at all and rush to mark their ball. To each his own.” Fellow tour pros—Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Luke Donald among them—took issue (rightfully so) with Walker’s stance. The most notable examples of the practice took place at the 2017-’18 season opener when Tony Finau hit a greenside bunker shot from a plugged lie as playing partner Jason Kokrak didn’t mark his ball that was next to the hole. At this year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, there was a similar situation involving Thomas and Brian Harman. The latter led to Paul Azinger blasting the idea of helping a fellow competitor—and in turn hurting the rest of the field. There have been other occurrences as well. But given the genial relationships between many of today’s young players, and with no rule in place for something that is almost entirely intent-based, don’t expect this controversy to die down anytime soon. —Brian Wacker

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Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America via Getty Images

No. 21: Pete Bevacqua

A golf executive switching from one big organization to another doesn’t always register with the general public, but Pete Bevacqua’s impact on the game has been bigger than most. The PGA of America CEO announced in July he would be taking a new position as president of NBC Sports Group, but only after presiding over several bold moves during his PGA tenure. In moving the PGA Championship from August to May, Bevacqua was giving the so-called fourth major a chance at a new identity. He helped secure a lucrative future for the Ryder Cup by establishing a 15-year rights deal between the PGA and NBC Sports, and set in motion a lucrative deal to move the PGA of America headquarters from South Florida to Texas. All were efforts to distinguish the PGA of America from the PGA Tour, two easy-to-confuse golf bodies with distinct missions. Bevacqua didn’t see all of those efforts come to their finish—the first May PGA is not until 2019, and the move to Texas is pending local approval—but if there’s a reason NBC wanted the charismatic Bevacqua on its team, it’s because of a proven ability to get big ideas off the ground. —Sam Weinman

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No. 22: Tiger Woods biography

The ambitious biography, Tiger Woods, by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, delivered its share of juicy nuggets regarding the 14-time major champion—notably about his infamous sex scandal, his father’s infidelities and the particulars behind his decision to turn professional. But really what set this 512-page tome apart from the countless other profiles of Woods is how it created a three-dimensional picture of Woods’ curious existence—how he became arguably the greatest golfer of all time, but also someone who felt increasingly isolated at the height of his stardom. Of course there were elements of the book that Woods’ camp didn’t like—they cited a few small factual errors. Yet the book’s impact wasn’t so much in what it said, but in convincingly explaining why Woods ended up the way he did. —Sam Weinman

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Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

No. 23: Shubhankar Sharma

Shubhankar Sharma’s first true introduction to golf fans on the world stage involved an actual—and awkward—introduction with one of his heroes back in March. Sharma, the surprising 36-hole leader at the WGC-Mexico Championship, approached Phil Mickelson on the practice green before the third round and was initially blown off by the five-time major champ, who mistook him for a member of the media. Mickelson wound up winning that week, but Sharma was the event’s breakout star with a performance that helped him earn a Masters invite two days later, making him just the fourth Indian golfer to tee it up at Augusta National. By year’s end, Sharma had collected the European Tour’s rookie-of-the-year award for a two-win campaign and finished 28th in the Race to Dubai. During the Open Championship, Sharma was surprisingly serenaded by a packed restaurant in Carnoustie for his 22nd birthday. Expect even more people to know who he is in 2019. —Alex Myers

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Getty Images

No. 24: Joel Dahmen/Sung Kang

Cheating is golf’s biggest taboo. It engenders a code of omerta, a cognizance of the scarlet letter that comes with the slightest assertion. It all made Joel Dahmen’s accusation that fellow competitor Sung Kang had knowingly broken the rules at the Quicken Loans National in July the talk of the tournament. Kang, Dahmen’s final-round playing partner, found a hazard at TPC Potomac’s 10th hole. Kang believed his ball passed over the stakes; Dahmen disputed the account, alleging Kang failed to cross the water. The argument continued so long that the group behind played through. Though a rules official eventually sided with Kang—whose T-3 finish earned an Open Championship invite—Dahmen, 31, remained steadfast, taking to Twitter to air his grievance: “Kang cheated. He took a bad drop from a hazard. I argued until I was blue. I lost.” Speaking at Carnoustie, Kang defended his actions. “I did the right thing,” the 31-year-old from South Korea insisted. One silver lining from the thorny incident: Dahmen, a career journeyman, seemed galvanized by the matter, reeling off four consecutive top-15s to keep his card for 2019. As did Kang. —Joel Beall

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Robert Laberge/Getty Images

No. 25: Bernhard Langer

Bernhard Langer, such is his consistency and resistance to aging, has turned the PGA Tour Champions season into an endless loop. For the fourth time in the last five years (and the fifth time overall), the World Golf Hall of Famer won the season-long Charles Schwab Cup and its $1 million bonus. His 14 top-10s led the tour for the seventh straight year. His earnings ($2,222,154) also led the tour for a seventh straight year. In those seven years, he’s led the tour in scoring average four times, and finished second three times, including this year. At 61, he is spotting the competition as many as 11 years in age, and is still dominating. His 38 career senior wins are seven shy of Hale Irwin’s all-time record, which seems distant, if it weren’t Langer doing the chasing. The one honour that Langer walked away with in 2018 for the first time? The PGA Tour’s Payne Stewart Award for quality of character and philanthropy. —John Strege

The post 2018 Newsmakers of the Year appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The Omega Dubai Desert Classic has long touted itself as the “Major of the Middle East” and is now hanging its hat on the Ryder Cup to sell the cast of stars confirmed for the 30^th edition of the $3.25 million European Tour event.

With two-time champion Rory McIlroy already a confirmed scratching from the 2019 Desert Swing, rejuvenated 2016 winner Danny Willett also PGA Tour-bound and new European No.1 Francesco Molinari as yet uncommitted on his early season schedule, the Desert Classic is trumpeting “30 years of Ryder Cup heroes” for the tournament’s matching anniversary at Emirates Golf Club.

Related: McIlroy jettisons Abu Dhabi, Dubai, may only play two “pure” European Tour events in 2019

Step forward Le Golf National heroes Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, Tyrrell Hatton, Thorbjørn Olesen, victorious 2018 captain Thomas Bjørn, vice-captain Lee Westwood and Ryder Cup legends of old Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Colin Montgomerie.

Haotong Li has also confirmed his return to Dubai to defend the famed Dallah trophy which the Chinese 23-year-old claimed by a stroke from McIlroy last season to become the first Asian winner on the Majlis course.

Getty Images
Defending Desert Classic champion Haotong Li.

Also locked in for the second leg of the new-look Abu Dhabi-Dubai-Saudi Arabia Desert Swing from January 24-27 are current 2019 Race to Dubai leader Aaron Rai, Dubai-domiciled Rafa Cabrera Bello, former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, Twitter favourite Eddie Pepperell, desert specialist Matt Fitzpatrick, Uxbridge upstart Matt Wallace and Andy Sullivan.

European Tour rookie-of-the-Year Shubhankar Sharma is confirmed to join fellow UAE based Indian  Rayhan Thomas with the 19-year-old Dubai Creek member himself set for an intriguing showdown with reigning British Amateur champion Jovan Rebula, the nephew of the Desert Classic’s only three-time champion Ernie Els.

Related: Thomas to take on Ernie Els’ nephew in spicy amateur showdown at 30^th Desert Classic

Tournament Director David Spencer is thrilled with the confirmed cast.

“We are looking forward to ensuring that our 30th edition continues to enhance Dubai’s growing reputation as a world class golfing destination” the Australian said.

“The players love our tournament because they get to spend time in our dynamic and vibrant city. No doubt when the winner’s name is etched on our Dallah trophy in 2019, the tradition of Greatness will continue.”

A new viewing platform near the Majlis’ 18th green, a new spectator area on the par-3 15th hole and a redesigned tournament village will greet spectators in January. A four-day season pass will cost AED 250.

For tournament information, tickets and hospitality packages, visit omegadubaidesertclassic.com

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But a pair of back-nine bogeys opened the door for the rest of the field to keep pace, including Leishman’s two playing partners, second-round leader Gary Woodland and India’s Shubhankar Sharma. The trio nearly matched each other shot for shot, Woodland and Leishman carding five-under 67s while Sharma edged them both by a stroke with his six-under 66. Once again they will all play together on Sunday, setting up what should be a fascinating final 18 holes in Malaysia, as they’re all tied at 19-under 197.

“They’re playing good,” said Leishman, who is looking for his fourth PGA Tour victory and his first since the 2017 BMW Championship. “I think we’re all playing well. Whoever ends up winning tomorrow, whether in my group or not, is going to go low. Hopefully, it’s me, but we’ll have to do something good tomorrow.”

A win for Sharma would be his first on tour, and it would prove last year’s breakout performance at the WGC-Mexico Championship was far from a flash in the pan. The 22-year-old picked up a pair of victories on the European Tour last season, so it’s not like he doesn’t know how to get it done.

“Good thing is that I’ve been in this position before and I’m in it again,” Sharma said. “But the good thing also is that we’re in Asia and I’m going to get a lot of support from all the fans. I know what to do and what not to do, so I’ll just try and relax as much as possible and come back tomorrow strong.”

Like Leishman, Woodland is also in search of his fourth PGA Tour victory, and a win would give him victories in back-to-back seasons, something he’s never done in his career.

“This golf course sets up good to my eye,” said Woodland. “I’ve been playing well coming in. It’s nice to be in contention and have a chance tomorrow. Excited about my game and where I’m at.”

Bronson Burgoon and Louis Oosthuizen sit in a tie for fourth at 17-under 199.

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By Shane Ryan
AUSTIN — Kyle Stanley just accomplished what Shubhankar Sharma, Dylan Frittelli and Xander Schauffele could not—he actually held on to a lead against Sergio Garcia. The Spaniard is finally beaten in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, but he didn’t go easy. Not in the group stages, where he trailed each match as late as the 11th hole, and came back to win all three. And not Saturday, where he turned a 3-down deficit into 1-down with five holes to play, and nearly made Stanley the fourth straight victim of a late comeback.

It was Sergio’s short game that finally let him down on the 14th, when he and Stanley both drove over the green. Stanley’s pitch was solid, stopping six feet from the hole, but Sergio misjudged his own effort and ended up 20 feet away. Stanley made his birdie to win the hole, and though Sergio won the 15th to return to 1 down, another iffy pitch on 16 left him with an 11-foot birdie putt that he missed by inches. When Stanley buried his 10-footer, the match—and Garcia’s tournament—was effectively over.

This weekend was not exactly a unique situation for Sergio, who has a long career of playing close matches that come down to the wire. He’s been successful, too—it would require about 10 hours of research to find out how many true back-nine comebacks he’s had, but with a little shorthand, we can establish without much difficulty how he fares in close matches. In singles duels that went to the 18th hole or beyond, Sergio has amassed a record of 14-8-1. For what it’s worth, his career record in the same scenario in pairs matches is 12-8-1.  

What is it that makes Sergio so adept in these situations? It would be easy to reach the simple conclusion that he’s a clutch player, but before last year’s career-defining Masters win, he was known as anything but a reliable pressure performer—at least in stroke play events. I caught up with him in the parking lot after his loss to Stanley this afternoon, and posed the question two different ways. Unfortunately, the answers to these mysteries sometimes don’t sound especially profound, and often it’s because the truth itself isn’t very profound.

“No, it’s quite simple,” he said. “You just keep at it. You just keep pushing and keep believing that you can do it.”

Okay, but is there something special about his particular style that makes him more resilient than many of his peers?

“No, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I don’t enjoy that. I’d rather be 2- or 3-up on the front and play the back like I’ve been playing it, and win 5 and 4, but unfortunately I didn’t manage to do it all week.”

So he didn’t quite see what I was after, and it’s never easy to badger a player after he’s just lost—two questions was about the extent of what I could get away with before he and his agent and the other reporters would start to look at me with more than just a hint of annoyance. Nor could I ask Kyle Stanley, who like most other winners in the morning session declined all media appearances in favor of eating and preparing for his quarterfinal round against Justin Thomas. But even if the atmosphere wasn’t conducive to that type of discussion, it may be that the answer he gave was about as deep as it gets. Sergio is a natural fighter, and it may even be that he unconsciously gravitates toward dramatic situations. The flip slide of his skill under pressure in match play singles is his inability to make things easy, and we’ve seen the consequences of that in the majors for the better part of two decades. Maybe the minimized damage of a bad hole in match play is a sort of comfort—a disaster can only cost you a hole, not a tournament, and therefore it’s easier to maintain a sense of optimism and even aggression.

That said, Sergio broke through the final barrier by winning the Masters last season, and that removes a significant pressure blockage from his brain. Never again will he have to listen to a Ryder Cup crowd heckle him for never winning a slam, and never again will we have to wonder on the back nine if he’s about to blow another opportunity. It should give him a measure of freedom in 2018, and as we’ve seen over the past month, his form is solid. Top-ten finishes at the Valspar and WGC-Mexico, a win in Singapore, and now a gritty fight to make the knockout stages in Austin all bode well for Augusta. Tiger Woods was the last repeat winner at the Masters, 16 years ago, but though Sergio has walked in the predictive shadow of favorites like Phil, Bubba, Spieth, Rory, and Tiger himself, there’s a better chance than many think he’ll win his second green jacket next month.

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16. The distance debate
The issue already feels thoroughly masticated. However, because Augusta National has proposed lengthening the fifth hole, with (likely) changes coming to the 13th, expect the matter to surface. We’re permitted a lone, precious week to revel in Augusta glory; the distance discussion will be on sport’s ledger for the foreseeable future. Shelf the dialogue for another day.

15. Sharma Fever, catch it!
There’s an appealing aura that Shubhankar Sharma exudes, with good reason: The kid went from outside the top 500 to earning a special exemption to golf’s grandest stage in 11 weeks. His two European Tour wins stoked our curiosity; his mettle at the WGC-Mexico Championship grabbed our attention. With a marksman’s precision and an endearing tranquility, Sharma’s not a star in the making. He’s merely waiting for his turn to shine.

14. Redemption for Rose
Golf’s most unappreciated name is also its hottest, as Justin Rose has logged 12 top-10s in his last 14 events. The 37-year-old has a sneaky-good track record at the Masters, highlighted by runner-up finishes in two of the last three tournaments, and a green jacket following last year’s disappointment (a bogey on the 17th, followed by a bogey in the playoff) would be sweet salvation.

13. Bubba Watson, three-time Masters champ
Players with three or more Augusta National wins: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson. It’s a fraternity Bubba Watson could join this spring. There’s genuine beauty to Watson’s creativity and approach, and his, ahem, “sui generis” nature is a refreshing sight against the cookie-cutter anatomy of the modern pro. He’s a divisive soul, no doubt. And the game is better for it.   

12. Matsuyama gets his due
Golf can suffer from attention deficit disorder. Case in point: Hideki Matsuyama, who during last August’s PGA Championship had a chance at his sixth worldwide win in 10 months but, thanks to a putting slump and early-season injury, has somehow fallen off our collective radar. Yet he remains one of the more riveting characters for the 2018 Masters, not only for his iron prowess (four consecutive years in the top 10 in strokes gained/approach) and Masters record (three consecutive top-11s) but the cultural significance a victory would mean for his homeland, Japan, an obsessive golf country still yearning for its first men’s major winner. He doesn’t draw the same love in the U.S. as golf’s other marquee names, but few players have the chance to see a win resonate outside the sport like Matsuyama.

Xander-Schauffele
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

11. Fill-in-the-blank American young gun wins
Among this pack are Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed (yes, still just 27), Tony Finau and Bryson DeChambeau. A captivating cast, each with an engaging story to tell, all with the games to make a serious run at the green jacket.

But, a notion topped by …

10. Fill-in-the-blank Euro star wins
That would be Tommy Fleetwood, Alex Noren, Thomas Pieters, Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick, etc. The reason this is above its American counterpart? For the ensuing, non-satiric “Euro Invasion” wave from the British press, very similar to the response after Danny Willett’s win in 2016. No, such sentiments weren’t seen following Sergio’s triumph, but I’m sure that had something to do with the proceedings at Hazeltine the previous fall.

Still, a hypothetical win would give the European contingent three straight Masters victories, a remarkable feat given there was a 16-year void before Willett.

Speaking of Sergio …

Andrew Redington

9. Garcia going back-to-back
Only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have repeated as Masters champions. It seems unlikely Sergio would join these ranks; prior to 2017, he had just one top-10 at Augusta in his previous 12 starts. Conversely, as his fellow pros have testified, it’s a venue built for Garcia’s game. He continues to flourish (two wins and five top-10s in his last nine starts), a possible testament to the new balance in his life. He’s no longer a jittery, frenetic ball of energy, already 38 years old … but don’t classify the ‘17 Masters as his magnum opus just yet.

8. A new Day
Remember Jason Day, the guy who was No. 1 in the world a year ago? All he’s done is kickoff 2018 with three consecutive top-five finishes, highlighted by a win at Torrey Pines. After an assertive two-year run, it’s staggering that a lost season has translated to an “Out of sight, out of mind” abandonment towards the 2015 PGA champ. But he’s healthy, he’s appears right between the ears, and his power and putting dexterity are ingredients for Augusta success. Though the “Best player in the world” conversation currently centers on Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, a win from Day returns him to the discussion.

7. What does Rickie Fowler want to be?
It’s hard not to think that the sport is too hard on Fowler, that many look at him only for what he’s not instead of what he’s accomplished. He’s still in his 20s, has received a substantial amount of under-pressure reps and displayed all the tools needed to win on the biggest stage.

In that same tone … there’s a metaphysical crossroads creeping up for Fowler. He’s racked up more than 200 appearances on tour; at this point, the training wheels are off. The whispers about his fortitude and closing capacity have become audible, and, at least at the majors, he hasn’t responded to what the circumstances dictate. This is not saying he won’t get there; plenty of legends hit pay dirt in their 30s. But if he wants to be more than a marketing entity, it’s time to start getting it done inside the ropes when it matters most.

Rob Carr

6. DJ returns to the scene of the crime
Dustin Johnson came to Georgia on such a heater last spring—with wins at the Genesis Open, the WGC-Mexico and the WGC-Match Play—that the green jacket had already been awarded before he stepped on property. Unfortunately, a staircase intervened, and Johnson and golf were left with one of the biggest “What if’s?” in sports history.

So it’s apropos that Johnson returns to Augusta not celebrated but overlooked, a pair of 40-somethings and litany of fledgling prodigies stealing the spotlight. The crazy thing? His play remains supernatural, with a win and four top-10s in five starts this season. His potency and finesse have yielded their share of dividends at Augusta (a T-4 and T-6 in his last two appearances). Perhaps last year’s forecast was not wrong, just premature.

5. Rahm earns his breakout
We—fans, media, players—have been liberal with the world “breakout.” Using it when a player wins for the first time, or for the first time in five years, or for the first time in five months. While true to extents, it’s best applied when one earns their first major. You’re no longer just a professional golfer; you are a part of golf’s enduring history.

Despite our best wish fulfillment, Jon Rahm did not reach that echelon in 2017. In fact, though he entered each major as one of the favorites, he failed to record a top-25 finish. Which is understandable: he was 22 after all, and sometimes you need to fall off the saddle to figure out how to stay on. However, while he’s just a year older, the expectations have vastly increased. That’s what happens when you win four times and reach No. 2 in the world.

Rahm has the arsenal—arguably the most well-rounded game in the sport—and inventiveness to tame Augusta, even without a firm mastery of course management (and all that entails) at this nascent phase of his career. He’s that talented, a volcano waiting to blow. And when it does, his competitors may be stifling through the ashes for years to come.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

4. Phil’s fight against Father Time
Write down, in your estimation, the best 10 golfers of all-time. Odds are, Phil Mickelson’s not on the list. It’s an exclusion that’s, perhaps, justifiable.

But if Mickelson wins the Masters, it will be his fourth green jacket, a feat only matched by Woods and Palmer, and surpassed by Nicklaus. Just eight players would own more majors in the Masters era than Mickelson’s six. He’s already one of 10 players with 40 or more PGA Tour wins, and a 2018 Masters conquest would make him the oldest winner in Masters history.

Is Phil on your top-10 list now?

There’s a chance Mickelson’s already used up his bullets; a win and five top-10s in an impressive season, one that would be tough to sustain for any competitor, let alone one nearing 48. As the adage goes, Father Time is undefeated. Then again, Mickelson’s never been one to adhere to convention, either.

3. Rory’s Grand Slam
Following a tour de force performance at the 2016 Tour Championship and Ryder Cup, 2017 was supposed to be the Year of Rory. Instead, it was arguably McIlroy’s worst campaign inside the ropes as a professional, as injuries and an equipment change zapped his usual dynamism and vitality. An impressive Euro Tour start should have quelled doubts for 2018, but poor outings in the U.S. have only amplified the questions.

To lack faith in Rory, though, is a miscalculation. If he can alleviate the severe downturns in his putting—or perhaps more importantly, his approaches from 125 yards and in—there’s no reason why McIlroy can’t be the same awe-inspiring McIlroy from 16 months ago. And there’s historical significance in play, too, as he Rory has the chance to become just the sixth player to win the modern career Grand Slam. Better yet, he would be back on pace to become Europe’s greatest player of all-time, and could possibly swipe Gary Player’s claim as Best International Player ever. Pretty heady stuff.

2. Spieth vs. Thomas
The stakes here are astronomical (or something like that, right? Right!). A large contingent maintains that Justin Thomas—thanks to seven wins, a major and Player of the Year honors—has already matched, if not usurped, Jordan Spieth. Though we are often victims to recency bias, a nonexistent ceiling to Thomas’ game—to say nothing of his torrential scoring tears—makes the hype understandable.

On the other end of the spectrum resides a hypothetical Masters win for Spieth. A victory that dunks this entire debate in ice, as evidenced in this (theoretical) résumé comparison:

SPIETH: 4 majors, 15 wins
THOMAS: 1 major, 8 wins

Sort of makes those “Thomas has lapped Spieth” pronouncements look awfully silly, now, doesn’t it? (Right? Right!)

Nevertheless, the framework is in place for a historically consequential rivalry, and the conch is up for grabs. Golf gods help us if these two are trading blows on the back nine on Sunday. It’s a storyline that can only be eclipsed by

1. Tiger, BACK
It would be too big. Make the ‘86 Masters seem like your run-of-the-mill, mid-’90s Buick Classic. The most physically daunting comeback since Ben Hogan. Most culturally significant since Muhammad Ali. Most popular since Michael Jordan.

Grown men would weep, orthopedics would see a disconcerting rise in fist-pump related injuries, Monster stock would go through the roof. And it may damn well happen.

Which, of course, means Yuta Ideka will be your 2018 Masters champ.

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By Joel Beall
Shubhankar Sharma failed to bring home the WGC-Mexico Championship following his breakout performance at Chapultepec. But the 21-year-old received something far better than a trophy.

Fred Ridley, the new chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced on Tuesday that Sharma has accepted an invitation to compete in the 2018 Masters.

“Golf is a global game, and throughout our history, we have extended invitations to deserving international players not otherwise qualified,” Ridley said in a statement. “As his results have proven, Shubhankar Sharma is a remarkable young player, and we look forward to welcoming him to Augusta National in April.”

A product of India, Sharma was an unknown as late as November, ranking outside the top 500 in the world. However, he raised his profile with wins at the European Tour’s Joburg Open in December and the Maybank Championship this February. In his first official PGA Tour event last weekend, he entered the final round of the WGC-Mexico in the lead. Although he ultimately stumbled on Sunday, it’s clear from his game and steady temperament that he’s a star in the making.

Sharma will become the fourth Indian player to compete in the Masters, following Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Anirban Lahiri. Ryo Ishikawa (2013) is the last player to receive a special Masters exemption.

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By Christopher Powers
In his PGA Tour debut, Shubhankar Sharma is one more solid round away from capturing the biggest victory in his country’s golfing history. The 21-year-old from India holds a two-shot lead at the WGC-Mexico Championship after posting a third-round two-under 69, putting him at 13-under 200.

For the third straight day, Sharma’s opening drive found the first green, but this time he walked away with birdie instead of a third consecutive eagle. He added birdies at the third and fifth holes before dropping his first shot of the day at the par-4 eighth. He played the final 10 holes in even par, highlighted by a 13-foot par save at the 18th hole that kept him two shots clear of the field.

If Sharma is going to earn his first win, he’ll have to hold off veterans Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, who are among a foursome two back at 11-under 202. Mickelson shot a bogey-free six-under 65, matching his low round of the year. Surprisingly, the five-time major winner has limited the damage on the tight, tree-lined fairways at Chapultepec, making just one bogey in his last 45 holes.

“The key for me is missing it in the right spots. There’s probably five or six fairways where half the fairway blocks you out, so you’re better off in the rough on the opposite side,” Mickelson said. “There’s a lot of holes like that where if you put it in the right spot you have pretty good angles, shots in and you can score well.”

Mickelson is joined by Tyrrell Hatton, whose seven-under 64 would have been the round of the day if not for Justin Thomas’ nine-under 62. Hatton’s round was also bogey-free, featuring a front-nine five-under 30. Also at 11 under is Rafa Cabrera Bello and Garcia, who each shot two-under 69s.

Dustin Johnson (68), Pat Perez (68), Brian Harman (68) and Xander Schauffele (70) are tied for sixth at 10-under 203.

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By Kent Gray
With Frenchman Alexander Levy the highest ranked player in the field at No. 62 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), the new NBO Oman Open offers fading stars and lesser lights the chance to shine.

Paul Waring and Matthew Southgate duly obliged Thursday, the Englishmen grabbing a share of the lead in the $1.75 million European Tour event with seven under 65s.

Both went bogey free around the majestic Al Mouj Golf layout but Southgate’s card was illuminated by an ace on island green 5th. The seven iron dunk from 165 yards was the 29-year-old’s second hole-in-one inside a month after he binned a nine iron on the par-3 7th at Emirates Golf Club during last month’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic; it was also the second ace on the historic day in Muscat after German Marcel Siem holed out from 162 yards on the 13th moments earlier. In a bizarre coincidence, the caddies of both players are twin brothers – Gary and Guy Tilson. 

Southgate and Waring lead by a shot from Dutchman Daan Huizing who hit the first shot of the championship and just 65 further strokes to cash in on a special invite having played four of the five Challenge Tour events previously held at Al Mouj, including a T-10 at last November’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.

Ryder Cupper Andy Sullivan and fellow Englishman Callum Shinkwin were a shot further back after 67s while Matteo Manassero’s name was a welcome sight among a group of six players on 68.

Waring, the world No. 251, will be relived with his fast start after a challenging beginning to 2018 which has seen the 33-year-old miss three successive cuts en-route to Muscat after opening the wrap-around season with a T-41 effort in Hong Kong before Christmas.

Paul Waring

The 2005 English amateur champion played last season on a medical exemption after wrist and shoulder problems but also enjoyed a career-best campaign, finishing 60th on the Race to Dubai rankings and saw light despite the unwanted weekends off.

“I’d missed three cuts on the spin but I didn’t feel like I’d played badly to miss them. I didn’t feel too far away,” Waring told EuropeanTour.com after a round that included a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th (he started at 10) and birdies on all four par 5s.

“It was definitely a bit of a glide. I played some of the best golf I’ve played for a little while. I actually missed a few chances, which sounds ridiculous. I did hole a nice one on one from 30 or 40 feet which is nice to keep the momentum going. I’m really happy with that.”

Southgate’s early form hasn’t been much better than Waring’s. Ranked 163rd in the latest OWGR, he missed the cut at the SA Open and in Abu Dhabi before T-57 and T-62 finishes in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.   

It was a good day for this guy ?

Shoots 65
Makes a hole-in-one
Takes the first round lead pic.twitter.com/rIK3woah9R

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 15, 2018

The Southend-on-Sea professional provided one of the stories of 2015, coming through all three stages of Q-School to regain his card after surgery for testicular cancer just months earlier. More recently Southgate has been in the news for cruelly incurring a four stroke penalty at the DAP Championship during last September’s Web.com finals, a freak incident that ultimately cost him a PGA Tour card.

Putting on the 15th at Canterbury Golf Club in Ohio, his ball was struck by a leaf that blew across the green, nudging the ball off line ever so slightly.

Southgate finished the hole, but made a huge error in the process as he should have placed his ball back to its original location and replayed the shot without penalty. Instead, by continuing the hole, he was handed a four-stroke penalty – two for playing from the wrong spot and two more for signing an incorrect card.

Here’s the incident:

Golf is hard … especially when you’re playing for a @PGATOUR card. pic.twitter.com/SoyWo6X01q

— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) September 24, 2017

Sullivan, T-6 in Dubai and T-17 in Malaysia, is trending nicely as he looks to September’s Ryder Cup in Paris. The 31-year-old concedes complacency crept in after he slipped to 62nd place in last year’s Race to Dubai standings following back-to-back top 20 finishes in 2015 and 2016.

He achieved just two top-10s in 2017 but is determined to get back to the top after the high of qualifying for the 2016 Ryder Cup in Hazeltine.

“I think it was just a bit of complacency,” he told EuropeanTour.com. “I got to the Ryder Cup pretty early and achieved everything in really quick time and you just don’t realise how hard you have to work to maintain these things. I’d be guilty of that and of not quite performing how I wanted to.

“Since DP World we’ve put the hard work in and it’s nice to see it coming back to where it was so early. I didn’t expect it to happen quite so quickly.

“Once you’ve played one Ryder Cup you don’t want to miss another one, it’s so special. My first one was in America and obviously we got humped but the whole experience is so awesome, being a part of that team, you just don’t want to miss another one.

“One of my goals is to try and force my way into that team. I know it’s going to be difficult and I’ve left myself a lot to do but that’s where I want to be again.”

Levy, for the record, signed for a one-under 71 Thursday, as did Andrew “Beef” Johnston.  Shubhankar Sharma, the 21-year-old Indian who leads the 2018 Race to Dubai after wins at the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship in the past two months, finished with a 73 despite a near tap-in eagle on the par-5 12th.

It was a tough day for the local hopes. Al Mouj teaching professional Steven Troup (SCO) is tied for 128th overnight after a 77 while Oman national team amateur Azaan Al Rumhy carded an 80. Bahrain amateur Nasser Yaqoob was on +13 after an 85.

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The 21-year-old Indian is the surprise early leader of the season-long Race to Dubai after winning the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship in the past two months to scoot up to No.71 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Sharma will peg it up with 2016 Ryder Cupper Andy Sullivan and Frenchman Alexander Levy at 7.15am in the marquee morning three-ball as Al Mouj Golf graduates to full European Tour status after a five year Challenge Tour apprenticeship. He’s clearly expecting a challenging week.

“I’m surprised this is the first time Al Mouj Golf has hosted a European Tour event as it’s such a great course,” he said. “It’s a tough, long course that can get windy; I definitely think that it’s a championship course. Now they have the event here I’m sure it will continue for many years to come.

“It would mean a lot to win an event in the Middle East especially at such a great course as Al Mouj Golf. I’m playing well at the moment so hopefully I can have four good rounds and we will see what happens. Every win is special to me so hopefully I can keep going and pushing my career on.”

Levy, whose ace during last month’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic earned the European Tour shot of the month award, has his eyes on a 2018 Ryder Cup spot and will tee off the 10th, 10 minutes before European captain Thomas Bjorn who is grouped with Soren Kjeldsen and Thomas Detry.

January’s Shot of the Month ?️???

Fans voted this @AlexLevyGolf shot as the European Tour’s best shot in January. pic.twitter.com/iAT9XutwdD

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 13, 2018

Fan favourite Andrew “Beef” Johnston will look to rebound from an unwanted weekend off at last week’s World Super 6 Perth when he heads off at 11.55am with former Ryder Cupper Robert Karlsson and Joost Luiten.

Thai Thongchai Jaidee, Welshman Jamie Donaldson and England’s David Horsey are off 10 minutes earlier, also from the 1st tee, while the threesome of Darren Clarke, Brett Rumford and Stephen Gallacher are sure to lure their share of the first day galleries at 12.05pm.

There will be great local interest in the performance of Omani amateur Azaan Al Rumhy (8.15am, 10th tee) and Bahrain’s Nasser Yaqoob (1.15pm, 10th tee) who qualified via the Oman amateur qualifier.

With just Sharma and Jorge Campillo in the current Race to Dubai top-10 and Levy, at No.62, the highest placed entry in the OWGR, the new Desert Swing event is wide open.

One of the stars could be Al Mouj Golf itself. The Greg Norman design, ranked third in our latest Top 10 Courses of the Middle East ranking, is in sparkling condition and set to be showcased to a global audience in excess of 400 million.

Related: Our 2018 Top 10 Courses in the Middle East ranking

Coverage of OSN Sports runs from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Thursday and resumes at 2pm-5pm.

The @NBOGolf course is ??#NBOOmanOpen pic.twitter.com/x6XcCKPj7n

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 13, 2018

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