SUZHOU (China) Oct 28, 2010: India’s Sharmila Nicollet is not in a rush to chase her dream of being a top professional in the world.
The 19-year-old from Bangalore could easily pass off as an actress in the Bollywood industry because of her height and good looks, but Sharmila wants to do her “acting”on the fairways.
“I love watching movies but I’m not interested in being an actress. My interest is golf and music,” said Sharmila who was the top amateur in India at the age of 15 and 16 that saw her winning nine tournaments. She took a break from golf when she was 17 to concentrate on studies and returned to the fairways last year to start her career in professional golf.
Since coming on board the Ladies Asian Golf Tour last year and turning professional, Sharmila believes she has still a long way to go to reach the pinnacle of world golf. “I’m a professional but I’m not a specialist yet, there are still a lot more that I have to do the move up to the elite status, especially in mental approach and course management,” said Sharmila who is pursuing a private degree in psychology.
This year on the domestic front, Sharmila had an impressive record of winning three events, finishing runner-up once and also a third place finish. After making the cut at last week’s tournament in Sanya where she finished tied 51st, Sharmila hopes to do even better when she tees up tomorrow in the Eur200,000 Suzhou-Taihu Ladies Open at the Suzhou-Taihu International Golf Club.
“I’m in no hurry. I want to move up slowly. I don’t wish to take any short-cuts so that I will not miss out any steps,” said Sharmila who will have Australia’s Nikki Garrett and China’s Li Xiyu for company in her group.
She likes the strong field in Suzhou as the event is tri sanctioned with LAGT, LET and CGA. “The course is good and beautiful, but it’s very cold out there and the winds are strong too. My confidence level is moving up because my game is getting better. I have done away with my regular caddie and using the local caddie because I want to make decisions by myself and do things my way,” said Sharmila.
Right now, Sharmila wants to build up a stranglehold in India and then Asia. “Later on, I’ll try and conquer Europe and America to establish my status as among the best professionals in the world. I have time on my side and once this is achieved it’s a dream come true,” she said, who is also doubling up for a show on home turf when she competes in the Hero Honda Women’s India Open from Nov 11-13 at the DLF Golf & Country Club.
