Good show Shiv Kapur, T23 at US Open

June 16,2014. Shiv Kapur finished T23 at the US Open along with Rory McIlroy and much ahead of Phil Mickelson and other golf greats. The Indian who was playing his maiden Major on American soil was six over par 286. With this he records the best ever finish by an Indian at the US Open. He’s just the third player born in India to play in the U.S. Open, joining Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal. Singh finished 37th in 2007. Kapur wraps this week with many special moments, new experiences and plenty of spotlights in America.

The fourth round started with a bump as Kapur was setback with two bogeys on the par fours. He made pars on 3rd, 4th and 5th before he slipped further with another bogey the par three 6th hole. Some birdie-relief only came through in the back nine and Kapur bagged those opportunities to infuse confidence back into his game. “The course conditions are really tough and one has to be imaginative with it. With pin positions promising to be tougher for the final two days, patience would be key,” Kapur had said before entering the final round.

This tournament was a dream come true for the Indian golfer who had been very close to qualifying in 2004. Ten years down he got into the tournament through the qualifying in Surrey in some tough weather conditions. “You play to get into the Majors,” Kapur said.

Kapur got accolades from all quarters. Sri Lanka’s number one golfer Mithun Perera said, “This is great motivation for all players as if Shiv can do this, and he is a great player, it gives us hope that we too can some day try the same.”

Kapur probably returns from American soil with plenty of valuable lessons, a lot of goodwill and some solid golf. He made headlines during the third round for being the only player for sometime in the field who was in the red.