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Blessed with film star looks and an excellent game, Sharmila Nicollet is expected to take Indian women golf to a new platform. She took the plunge as a professional in 2009 and won a title the on domestic Hero Women\u2019s Professional Golf Tour. In 2010, she topped the money list and is also the current leader in 2011. <\/p>\n
Sharmila went to the Ladies Asian Golf tour in 2010 and made the cut in Sanya Ladies Open. The Bangalore \u2013 golfer is now looking to make a breakthrough on Asian tour before making her way to Europe and further. Sharmila was the top amateur in India at the age of 15 and she represented the country at Asian Games in 2006. At 16, she had already won nine tournaments in India and then took a year off to study — a student of psychology \u2013 and now she is making her mark as a pro.<\/p>\n
In an interview to Swati Kapur of Indian Sports News, Sharmila <\/strong>talks about golf, her game and plans ahead. Excerpts: <\/strong><\/p>\n ISN:\u00a0 You are getting lots of modelling offers; do you want to switch your carrier onto modelling or acting? ISN:\u00a0 But why only golf because you were state level swimmer and an athlete and you played basketball and love horse riding as well? ISN: Are you satisfied with your career so far? ISN: Do you like Bollywood music too? ISN: Your mother is a perfumiest. Is anyone else in sports from your family?\u00a0 ISN: Who is you biggest inspiration? ISN: What do you love to do in your free time? ISN: Lots of people think golf is a sport of rich people?\u00a0 What are your views on that? <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sharmila went to the Ladies Asian Golf tour in 2010 and made the cut in Sanya Ladies Open. The Bangalore \u2013 golfer is now looking to make a breakthrough on Asian tour before making her way to Europe and further. Sharmila was the top amateur in India at the age of 15 and she represented the country at Asian Games in 2006. At 16, she had already won nine tournaments in India and then took a year off to study — a student of psychology \u2013 and now she is making her mark as a pro.<\/p>\n In an interview to Swati Kapur of Indian Sports News, Sharmila <\/strong>talks about golf, her game and plans ahead. Excerpts: <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-golf-golf"],"yoast_head":"\n
ISN: You started your career at very early age and have already made a mark in Indian women golf? Tell us something about your journey so far?
Sharmila Nicollet: <\/strong>I started playing at the age of 11 and it\u2019s been 9 years now. I have been a very sporty person. I was a state level athlete and a state level swimmer. I have also played basketball for school, done horse riding and played tennis. I think I have done all the sports. I won the first tournament at the age of 14 and it was then that decided to take golf as my carrier. I have sacrificed a lot for sports.
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ISN: You desire to play for India in 2016 Olympics?
Sharmila: <\/strong>It\u2019s a very big event and I dream about representing my country in the 2016 Olympics as golf has been included in the mega event. I think it\u2019s a tough goal but I\u2019ll like to represent India in the Olympics and I\u2019ll go there fully prepared. When I played in the Asian Games, I was very young. But 2016 is far off and I am a better player now. I think I can make a mark in the Olympics. <\/p>\n
Sharmila Nicollet: <\/strong>I got lots of offer from modelling agencies, Bollywood, Tollywood,etc.\u00a0 But this is not my cup of tea. Anything related to sports, I\u2019ll do. I am ready to do couple of shows related to golf and some high class events. But I will not stay away from golf as it is my life. <\/p>\n
Sharmila: <\/strong>I think I love the golf than any other game. It\u2019s 60 per cent mental and the ambiance in which the game is played is quite good. I love nature. I mean I just love the sport. I had to give up a lot for this sport. I was a very good student and at the age of 15 my mom sent me to San Francisco University U.K of golf, scholarship from U.K. I have given up all that for this game and want to take my game to a next level. Hopefully I win the Olympic medal for my country.<\/p>\n
Sharmila: <\/strong>I have had very good amateur record and was No 1 for a couple of years. I have won most of the tournaments in the amateur circuit. After I turned professional, I have won nine events.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s a good record so far. My next aim is to play in European Tour.\u00a0 I am No 1 women pro in the country as of now. So it\u2019s a great feeling. <\/p>\n![](\"images\/sharmila111.jpg\")
ISN: You wrote on Face book that \u201cmusic has its own meaning; takes me to another place?\u2019 Do you love music? Do you like singing? What kind of music you love?
Sharmila: <\/strong>I love music. I love all genres. I am very versatile. Depending on my mood, I love rock, hip hop, all kind of music and I love to mix fashion in sport as well. I think if you look good and play good, then you feel good about yourself.<\/p>\n
Sharmila: <\/strong>No I don\u2019t like Bollywood music; I don\u2019t even like Indian food. I am half French half Indian. I love French style of eating and music. So I love Italian food.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of my favourite cousins.<\/p>\n
Sharmila: <\/strong>Many of my family members play golf just for fun. So think I picked it from them. They played once in a while, but then I learned from there. Well, as perfume is concerned I love perfume. Sometimes I go to my mum\u2019s lab and mix up few chemicals. When I get the formula right, I think I\u2019ll go to my mum\u2019s perfume line. I love that or I go to my own fashion designing line. I love fashion myself.<\/p>\n
Sharmila: <\/strong>My mom is a biggest inspiration. Without her, I wouldn\u2019t come so far. I love her really. She travelled with me everywhere in India. I think I am really lucky that she is my mother.<\/p>\n
Sharmila: <\/strong>I practice six days a week. I love parting on weekend. I am a young girl at the end of the day. I meet my friends once a week. My hobbies are photography, car modification and just go and pick the camera and click photos. That\u2019s what I do in my free time. <\/p>\n
Sharmila: <\/strong>Well golf is a very expensive game. Lots of travelling and all are required. I don\u2019t think I would have been able to do at my own. It\u2019s very tough for average and below average people to play golf without any sponsor. Thanks to my mom, I was able to do it without much hurdles. I know lot\u2019s of player who kind of lack financial support. I think we should get little more push from the government. I mean cricket is like a religion and I hope golf would get little closer to that reputation.<\/p>\nBlessed with film star looks and an excellent game, Sharmila Nicollet is expected to take Indian women golf to a new platform. She took the plunge as a professional in 2009 and won a title the on domestic Hero Women\u2019s Professional Golf Tour. In 2010, she topped the money list and is also the current leader in 2011. <\/p>\n