Indian Open enticing for Shiv Kapur

Edited by Anand Datla

February 17, 2015: Shiv Kapur has more reason than most to desperately want to win this week’s Hero Indian Open, having spent his entire golfing life playing at the host venue, Delhi Golf Club.  The 33 year old is also supported by title sponsor Hero, and he will have hundreds of friends and family members in attendance backing his bid to become the first home winner of his national Open since Chinnaswamy Muniyappa in 2009.

A tied 11th place finish at last week’s True Thailand Classic presented by Black Mountain means Kapur is heading home in good form, and he admits victory would mean even more now the event has become part of The European Tour International Schedule for the first time.

“It’s very exciting because it’s got elevated status this year, being part of The European Tour,” he said. “It’s at my home club, it’s my sponsor and it’s my national Open, so I’ve got three reasons to win.

“I’m looking forward to it and it’s nice to have found some form going into it. It’s my sixth week in a row playing, so I’ll be battling a bit of fatigue, but it’s nice to be coming off a good finish.

“I’ll be sleeping in my own bed and will have my mum’s cooking, so it’ll be great. I probably won’t need to play a practice round because it’s my home club. I’ll be playing the course I’ve played nearly every day of my life since I learned to play golf.”

Kapur is keen to keep a lid on expectations, however, adding: “I’m very excited, but I’ll have to try to tone down my own personal expectations as well as everyone else’s and just treat it like any other golf tournament.

“For any Indian, winning the Indian Open is massive, but like I said it’s also at my home club and it’s my sponsor’s event. It would be really, really cool to win, but I’ll be trying to think about it because it’s the old cliché of going out and trying to carry on the form from last week and not thinking too much about leaderboards. Hopefully I can put myself in contention which would be a really cool feeling.”

The historic Delhi Golf Club is a test of accuracy over power, according to Kapur, and the 7,014-yard, par 72 layout will be a test of patience.

“The course is very different from what we’ve played on Tour the last few weeks and especially the Middle East,” he said. “You hit very few drivers off the tee but lots of irons. It’s all about position off the tee so it’s not a bomber’s golf course. You need to be patient and bide your time. It would suit someone like Miguel (Angel Jiménez) down to a tee.”

This will be the 51st staging of the US$1.5million event but the first time it has been co-sanctioned by The European Tour. Other notable names in the field include veteran Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez, and Australian Scott Hend, who was tied second last week in Thailand.

Alongside Kapur in the home challenge are Jeev Milkha Singh, Anirban Lahiri, who won the Maybank Malaysian Open two weeks ago, SSP Chawrasia and Jyoti Randhawa, who has a hat-trick of Indian Open titles to his name, winning in 2000, 2006 and 2007.

Source: European Tour