South African Open: Shiv aims high

November 20, 2013. After a splendid season on the European Challenge Tour, Indian star Shiv Kapur is aiming for victoryat the 103rd South African Open Championship at Glendower from November 21-24, to begin his European Tour 2014 journey on a positive note.

The 31-year-old will face a stellar cast of world stars in the opening event on the 2014 European Tour schedule, including 2011 Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel and two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen from South Africa, 2001 Open champion David Duval and world No 3 and defending champion Henrik Stenson from Sweden.

Kapur wants to overcome the disappointment he faced three years ago when Scotland’s Richie Ramsay denied him in a playoff. But this time around, the two-time Challenge Tour winner will be bringing a much bigger portion of experience to the battle.

Kapur capped a tremendous season by winning the season-ending Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final in November. This victory vaulted Kapur to fourth in the final Challenge Tour rankings and sealed his card on The European Tour for the 2014 season.

As the first Indian player to graduate from the European Challenge Tour, Kapur hopes to follow in the footsteps of other Indian greats, including European Tour winners Jeev Milka Singh and Arjun Atwal.

However, the Indian golfer is not alone in seeking glory on South African soil.

Eleven of the 15 players who earned exemption for the 2014 European Tour will line up at Glendower with the same designs, including Order of Merit winner Pavan Andrea from Italy, fifth placed Johan Carlsson from Sweden and sixth placed Dutchman Daan Huizing.

The players will also have to face tough South African challenge led by the highest ranked player in the field Charl Schwartzel. The current World No.22 has come close on two occasions and the Masters champion won’t take no for an answer a third time.

South Africa’s highest-ranked golfer, Charl Schwartzel, has his eye on a maiden South African Open title at Glendower Golf Club this week, but does not want to put too much pressure on himself as he looks forward to his home championship.

The current world number 22 won the 2011 Masters Tournament and won two titles each in Europe and Asia, as well as six in South Africa, but his best result in the SA Open is a runners-up finish behind Tim Clark at Durban Country Club in 2005.

“I want to win the SA Open, but I’m not going to put pressure on myself, that’s unnecessary,” the 29- year -old Schwartzel said on Tuesday.