AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It's a tradition within the tradition unlike any other: asking the Masters newbie if he has tried a pimento cheese sandwich at Augusta National Golf Club.
An American reporter couldn't help but pose the question to India's Shubhankar Sharma during his press conference here on Tuesday.
"No, I have not had any of those dishes," Sharma said. "The only problem is that I'm vegetarian, so I have limited choices. But I will probably go out and have something. I have to be very biased, I love Indian food. I feel like that is the best food in the world, and fortunately, my mom is here and she's going to cook for me every day. ... But if I do get a chance when I tee off in the morning, I will go out and try to have a few delicacies like you mentioned."
"Be careful," the reporter replied.
"Careful" is the last approach Sharma seems to be taking this week; he's instead embracing the whole experience.
After a strong start to the season, Sharma is suddenly on many people's radars, needing just five months to climb from No. 571 to No. 68 in the rankings after victories at the Joburg Open and the Maybank Championship. Those wins, combined with a handful of top-10 finishes, was enough for Masters Tournament senior director Buzzy Johnson to call Sharma and extend an invite to Augusta.
"The best part about [Augusta] is that everything is so grand, everything is so huge," Sharma said. "I'm pretty sure this is the best event in golf. ... You get to the first tee and you can see the whole course. You can see so many people walking. It's just celebration of golf, and I think that is the best part about it."
And he's not experiencing it on his own. Sharma said his entire family is here, including his mother. His sister was even in the Masters interview room during his press conference, writing a diary of the whole experience. Sharma will also tap into his meditation practice if the stress of a round of golf gets to him this week.
"You have to be in a monk-like state for five hours," Sharma said. "You have to kind of keep your subconscious mind going and just keep on playing with what you have practiced. That is what I've learned over the years, and Mom has been very instrumental in that and in putting me through the art of meditation, even though I don't do it as much as my mom would like me to do it, but I still try."
"A major winner has a different sound to it" Shubhankar Sharma
Sharma knows he has a unique opportunity to bring more golf awareness back to India, especially to the younger generation of sports fans. He is only the fourth Indian player to play at the Masters after Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Anirban Lahiri. But he is relishing the chance to be that role model for aspiring players, similar to how Tiger Woods inspired him to take up the sport. Atwal has a PGA Tour title; Singh has four top-10 finishes on the tour. But what if Sharma won at Augusta this week?
"If I play my best, I will surely be in contention," Sharma said. "It's just like any other golf tournament. You play four good rounds of golf and you end up winning. Obviously, the pressure is a lot more and it's a very high stage, but personally, I don't feel any burden.
"Every sport needs a hero, and we have a few heroes back home. But a major winner,[that] has a different sound to it."