Ardglass golfer on teeing up with the best in the world

Ardglass golfer on teeing up with the best in the world

8 April 2020

ARDGLASS golfer Cormac Sharvin could be forgiven for feeling understandably frustrated right now.

The richly talented 27 year-old should be locking horns with some of the world’s best players on the European tour.

But instead of prowling the fairways he’s holed up in his apartment in Dublin — like many others undergoing coronavirus lockdown.

It’s not how Sharvin, currently 318th in golf’s world rankings, thought his first season on the European Tour would go.

Having secured his card for the 2020 season by finishing 11th on the 2019 Challenge Tour rankings, he was gearing up for a potential breakthrough campaign on the top circuit.

However, after just four events, he is unsure of what the future holds as the sporting world goes into shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

He clearly appreciated that golf, and sport in general, is of minor importance when compared with the COVID pandemic.

Of the decision to close all golf courses north and south of the border, he told the BBC recently: “It’s a precaution that needs to be in place.

”I don’t know enough about the virus, but they’re obviously trying to slow things down. Hopefully we’ll be back playing as soon as possible, I think that’s the goal.

“I think we just have to accept it and sit tight and when it does pass, we can get things moving a bit quicker.”

Certainly things have happened fairly quickly for Sharvin in his career to date. He only took up golf seriously relatively late in his teenage years, but went on to have glittering amateur career.

In 2015 he was a member of the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team, contributing three points and remaining unbeaten in a 16.5-9.5 thumping of the United States.

Sharvin turned 16 the following year and joined the ranks of the European Challenge Tour.

Having missed his European Tour card by a single shot in 2018, Sharvin relocated to Dublin and It proved to be the right move.

He amassed eight top ten finishes in 19 starts to earn a rookie season on the European Tour thanks in large part to his six top fives.

Sharvin only missed four cuts, two of which came in the first two events of the season, before he kickstarted his campaign with back-to-back top ten finishes.

However, his best performance came at the Irish Open at Lahinch where he finished tied for 15th and was also the leading Irish golfer.

He showed impressive consistency during the 2019 season and proved his elite-level credentials with a tie for 15th finish at the Irish Open, ending the week as the leading home competitor.

He says: ”I had a really good year, I put myself into contention a lot which was great. I think I was ready to take that step and I think the way I played, I deserved to get my card in the end with a few good results.

“I also managed to play well in a couple of European Tour events as well which showed me that I was ready to take that step. There’s a relief that I have my card now but it’s only the start of it — I know I have to keep improving and moving up the rankings.”

At the Irish Open he finished ahead of future Open champion Shane Lowry, Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood former world number one Lee Westwood and Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington.

“It was disappointing to shoot level-par on Sunday, but I feel like I didn’t do much wrong,” he said.

“It was really nice to have that pressure of going into the final round of a big European Tour event with a chance to win. It showed me where I was mentally and physically, that I was able to come from the Challenge Tour and compete in a top-level European Tour event.

“That was an unbelievable week. The crowds were incredible and I attracted a big following being the leading Irishman, and that was a great feeling.

“It’s a nice feeling when hundreds of people are following you and everyone is willing your ball into the hole. I think that really geared me up quite a lot. It was a class buzz.

“It was difficult going back to playing the Challenge Tour in the middle of nowhere in France the week after, but that week gave me the confidence to string together more good results to get off the Challenge Tour.”

Sharvin admits it’s been a slow start on the European Tour, with a tie for 36th in the Oman Open his best return in four starts this year, but his belief in being able to compete at the higher end of leaderboards remains undimmed.

“I feel like my game is good, but I haven’t really put all the facets together. “I think in Oman I was second in strokes, gained tee-to-green and just putted really poorly. I played quite nicely in Qatar and just didn’t get it going.

“It’s obviously such a short period of time so it’s hard to assess in four events, but I feel like I’m close. This break may help me improve other things and hopefully I’m a better player when we start again.”

Given his Walker Cup experience, Sharvin would dearly love to play in the Ryder Cup in the years ahead.

“The Ryder Cup would definitely be up there for me. I grew up playing team sports and have been involved with them my whole life, so that would be huge.

“I feel like I’m pretty good in a team and having tasted a little success in team sports, I think that if I can get my game to that level, I’d be a good asset in that sense.”