Youngsters will follow my path:Shiv

November 12, 2013. Delhi’s ace golfer Shiv Kapur is the first Indian golfer to graduate from the Challenge Tour to gain European Tour card. The 31-year-old hopes that there will be many more who will choose to tread on his path to realize their golfing dreams.

“Becoming the first Indian to graduate from the Challenge Tour is a huge honour. As a young kid from Delhi I dreamed of playing golf, so to be the first player from a country with more than a billion people to graduate from the Challenge Tour and realise my dream is a huge achievement. I will now be able to play in events I only dreamed of playing in, such as the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.”

[highlight] I think more players in the future will look towards using the Challenge Tour as a path to gaining a European Tour card as an alternative to the Qualifying School [/highlight]

After winning the season-ending Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final at Al Badia Golf Club, Kapur rocketed to fourth in the Challenge Tour Rankings to reclaim a place on The European Tour next year.

His two-stroke victory completed a remarkable campaign on the Challenge Tour, which began with his debut win on home soil at the Gujarat Kensville Challenge, in Ahmedabad.

That victory, by two shots from Scotland’s Andrew McArthur, put down an early marker and ultimately acted as the springboard for Kapur’s climb to the top tier of European golf.

“My win at Kensville was very important, in more ways than one. Not only did it help with my belief and confidence, but it also gave my season more focus. If I hadn’t won at Kensville my schedule would have been completely different, and I wouldn’t be in the position I am now.

He now believes that having big international events like the Kensville Challenge in India is important, as it gives great exposure to the young players and gives them the chance to play with some of the foreign stars.

“I think more players in the future will look towards using the Challenge Tour as a path to gaining a European Tour card as an alternative to the Qualifying School, and hopefully more Indians will follow in my footsteps and look at playing on the Challenge Tour.”

Kapur is confident of carrying his own form into the new campaign on The European Tour, where his 14 fellow graduates from the Challenge Tour will join him.