Shubhankar Sharma qualifies for The Open with Joburg Open win
By Ali Stafford
Last Updated: 11/12/17 10:23am
Shubhankar Sharma secured an invite to next year’s Open Championship after claiming a three-shot win at the weather-delayed Joburg Open.
Final leaderboard
Three places were available for the 147th Open through the Open Qualifying Series, with Erik van Rooyen and Shaun Norris taking the other two spots.
Challenge Tour graduate Van Rooyen posted a blemish-free 66 to finish runner-up, while Norris fired a round-of-the-day 65 to share third with Tapio Pulkkanen.
Resuming with a four-shot lead and 11 holes to play, Sharma quickly saw his advantage cut to three when Van Rooyen - playing in the group ahead - tapped in to birdie the par-four ninth.
Sharma holed from eight feet at the ninth to re-establish his cushion and made pars on every hole of the back nine, as Van Rooyen birdied the 12th but was unable to close the gap further along the closing stretch.
Midway leader Pulkannen moved up the leaderboard with three consecutive birdies from the 14th, as Norris closed his round with back-to-back gains to get to 17 under.
Pulkkanen required a birdie over his final two holes to claim outright third and book a place at Carnoustie, but ended with successive pars to miss out by Norris' higher world ranking.
England's Marcus Armitage took fifth spot ahead of James Morrison and Joachim B. Hansen, with Charlie Ford one of five players claiming a share of eighth.
