Tiger Woods: Stunning Masters claim made by Indian sensation Shubhankar Sharma
INDIAN golf hot-shot Shubhankar Sharma has claimed he is delighted to have Tiger Woods back competing at the Masters - and even fancies his chances of beating him to the green jacket.
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Woods is hoping to end a 10-year wait for a major championship win when the Masters gets underway on Thursday.
The American is gearing up for his first public practice session this afternoon where he will partner Phil Mickelson on a nine-hole round.
But when the main play gets underway Sharma, who has already won two European Tour events this season, is hoping to break records for his country.
The 21-year-old rising star is hoping to replicate his idol Woods by inspiring his country to take up golf - all 1.3billion of them.
Shubhankar Sharma is hoping to make a similar impact as Tiger Woods
I absolutely believe I can win. Obviously there's a lot of pressure and a lot of people, but at the end of the day you're just playing golf
The weight of expectation is high as India has never had a major winner - but Sharma, ranked 72 in the world, is hoping to triumph with a little help from the former world No 1.
"It's great for the game of golf that Tiger is back," Sharma told CNN.
"He's hungry for a win and you can see that in the past few tournaments.
"The Masters is something like Wimbledon for tennis; it's what every player dreams of.
“There is sure to be a lot of excitement and it's great to be a part of it.
"If I can motivate anyone back home to start playing golf, that'll be the biggest victory for me.
"I absolutely believe I can win. Obviously there's a lot of pressure and a lot of people, but at the end of the day you're just playing golf.
"I'll just try to play the course; that's my objective for the tournament. I'm playing well and I know if I play well I can challenge anybody.
Tiger Woods is hoping to end a 10-year wait for a major tournament win
"In any sport, you need idols. You need players who kids can look up to, so they can say: 'We have players from India that have done it, so nothing stops us from doing it.'
"That is what is going to motivate them. It's just like a cycle.
“You need more and more players coming out, more and more icons doing well; you need a major winner."