Shiv Kapur plays Trophee Hassan II

Shiv Kapur will look to make the weekend in Morocco

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Shiv Kapur finished T46 at the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco

 

Edited by Anand Datla

 

March 24, 2015: Shiv Kapur is the lone Indian this week on the European Tour. He is a category 10 participant at the tournament that is held in Morocco. Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares returns to the scene of the biggest victory of his career this week when he defends his Trophée Hassan II title at Golf du Palais Royal in the picturesque palatial grounds of the home of the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI.

 

Kapur will be greeted by a visually rich experience, on the scenic course at the club. The unique venue in Agadir was witness to a stunning wire-to-wire triumph by the 32 year old last year, when he added a second European Tour title to his trophy cabinet after finishing five shots clear of England’s Andy Sullivan.

 

It came eight years after Cañizares’ first European Tour victory, in Russia, and a win this week would make him the first player to successfully defend the title since the tournament became part of The European Tour International Schedule in 2010.

 

To do so, Cañizares will have to fend off a strong field which includes the runner-up last year and a two-time winner already this season in Sullivan.

 

The 28 year old has been living up to the potential he showed as an amateur, claiming his maiden title in January at the South African Open Championship hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni before adding a second win in Johannesburg at the Joburg Open in March.

 

Five time European Tour winner Michael Hoey of Northern Ireland, Germany’s Marcel Siem and Welshman Rhys Davies are the other past winners in Agadir this week hoping to draw on their great memories of the event, while another former champion, England’s David Horsey, will look to continue his affinity with the 7,041-yard par 72 layout, which each year earns rave reviews.

 

Horsey won the tournament in 2011 and finished tied second in 2013 and tied eighth in 2014, amassing a combined score of 54 under par for 20 rounds since 2010.

 

After the cancellation of the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI last week, George Coetzee travels to Morocco as the most recent winner on The European Tour following his victory at the Tshwane Open.

 

Ross Fisher, meanwhile, is the highest ranked player in The Race to Dubai in the field, the former Ryder Cup player’s runner-up finish at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and a top ten at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship helping him to third place in the season-long list.

 

The Trophée Hassan II is played concurrently with a Ladies European Tour event at the neighbouring Golf du l’Ocean course. The links-style Robert Trent Jones Sr-designed course is surrounded by the palace walls, with the Atlantic Ocean alongside, and opens exclusively for the tournament.

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