The Hindu : Sport : Kapur hoping for a delightful debut

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 20, 2006

Sport

Sport

Kapur hoping for a delightful debut

— Photo: AP

EYEING THE BIG ONE: If Shiv Kapur finds his rhythm, he could find himself in contention at The Open.

Hoylake (England): Shiv Kapur will look to play all the four rounds as he makes his debut at the oldest Major in the world — the British Open — here on Thursday.

Kapur knows that The Open is a tremendous opportunity to showcase his skills and make up for what has been a poor run of form of late. ``I'm playing the best players in the world and it's an opportunity to showcase what I have, and show that I can stack up against the best,'' said the Indian.

``The last few months have been a lean patch for me, but I am feeling good again. I've got this week, next week in Germany and the World golf championship Bridgestone Invitational coming up over the next month and it will be an exciting time,'' he said.

``One of my goals this week is to play four rounds. But the key is to go out there and play well, especially on a golf course like this. If I play well, a lot can happen. It'll be nice to be somewhere in contention,'' said Kapur, who joins compatriots Gaurav Ghei, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa as the only Indians to play at The Open.

The only one to make the cut so far is Jyoti Randhawa, who is also the only Indian to have played here more than once. He played three times and figured in the weekend once.

Kapur hopes to follow in those footsteps and hopefully do better. ``I have watched The Open all my life on TV and I don't think I will realise what it is all about until I step on to the first tee,'' Kapur said.

``Even during the practice rounds, the atmosphere here is great but I think the real deal only comes on Thursday, Friday and through the weekend. I think experiencing that will be magic,'' says Kapur, who played nine holes on Monday and a full 18 holes on Wednesday.

The Majors is what it is all about, say the pros. The last time Kapur turned up at a Major was in 2004 and he kept waiting and in the end all he managed was almost 5,000 hits at the driving range and then flew back as he failed to get in despite being the first alternate at the U.S. Open.

He was then still an amateur and had come through Local and Sectional qualifiers.

``A couple of players were said to be injured but there were no withdrawals and I stayed as first alternate when the first round began.'' A disappointed Kapur flew back the next day.

This year he is there with a confirmed place which he earned by finishing third, winning a play-off, at the International Final qualifiers in Singapore in April.

Kapur admits to feeling like a celebrity. But he is not letting the occasion or the awe of the setting to get to him. He has been signing autographs and even visited the family his caddie Neeraj Sareen is staying with.

The 24-year-old Delhi golfer, who studied in Purdue University and won the Asian Games gold medal as an amateur, has enjoyed a meteoric rise on the Asian Tour since turning professional 18 months ago.

``It's great being here,'' said Kapur. ``The whole town is buzzing with the Open. People make you feel like you're a movie celebrity and all the kids want your autograph, which is good. But after a while, you need to keep your eye on the game. I think this is all part of being here and it's awesome.''

In sparkling form

On the Asian Tour last year, Kapur established himself as one of the region's brightest talents, winning the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia in Thailand en route to finishing fourth in the Order of Merit in his rookie season.

This year, he has continued to sparkle with three top-15 finishes and has impressed the likes of former U.S. Masters champion Fred Couples, who said Kapur reminded him of Justin Leonard. Last week, the young Indian played in all four rounds of the Barclays Scottish Open.

``He's got a future. I like his temperament. He hits the ball really solid. He's not long, he's not short. He's like Justin Leonard. I like the way he plays and I think he will do really well (in his career),'' said Couples, who played with Kapur at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth earlier this year. — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport