Shiv Kapur, Jeev miss Tshwane cut

Report by Anand Datla

March 14, 2015: India’s Shiv Kapur and Jeev Milkha Singh failed to make an impression on the European Tour, when they missed the cut at the Tshwane Open in Pretoria. Kapur shot an even par 70 to try and force his way into the weekend, but he finished just below the cut line to miss out by a whisker. Jeev’s travails with the cut continued unabated too, with the man from Chandigarh finishing at five over with a 72 in the second round.

Kapur will perhaps ruminate his double bogey at the 18th hole in the first round, as he reflects on an up and down performance this week. In the end that late slip on the first day proved fatal to his chances of a full weekend.

Shiv was one under through 17 holes of that round, before stumbling at the par-4 18th hole. On Friday, Shiv got out on the wrong side of the card when he finished his front nine with a lone bogey at the second hole to slip to two over.

The cut was projected at 1-over and when Shiv made another bogey at the 10th, it seemed that his fate was all but sealed. But then, the gritty golfer fought back with birdies at the 11th and 12th to raise hopes of a reversal in fortune.

It wasn’t to be though as he signed off with six straight pars to complete his duties for the week. It was a third missed cut of the season for the 248th ranked golfer, who also failed to make the weekend in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Kapur’s best effort this season came at the Thailand Classic in February where he finished T11.

Jeev is languishing outside the top 1000 on the Official World Golf Rankings. At the Indian Open, where he made the cut, Singh expressed his desire and passion to rediscover his way back into the top echelons of the game. The battle continues unabated, after Singh missed his fifth cut in seven starts including this event in Pretoria.

Like Kapur, Singh too signed off with a double bogey six at the 18th hole on the first day. With his card already at three over at the end of the first round, his task was cut out on Friday. He needed some birdies quickly to get himself back into the conversation for the weekend.

He got off to a poor start when he made bogey on his first hole, the par-4 10th. Jeev undid the damage at the 12th with a birdie but six straight pars meant that he had everything to do on his inward march.

It was not to be though, as he only managed a lone birdie at the 2nd hole besides bleeding a double bogey at the fourth hole and another bogey at the par-5 ninth hole.