Not enjoying the best form over the last few years, Shiv Kapur feels he needs to start loving the game rather than treating it as a daily job if he is to rediscover his touch.
“I just started to get frustrated due to the lack of results,” Kapur, who shot to limelight when he won an individual gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games as a 20-year-old amateur, said on Wednesday.
“I was too bothered about the results and just forgot to enjoy the game like I did when I was a child. The game used to be so much more fun and somewhere down the line, I started treating it like a daily job -- although that’s what it is for me at the end of the day.
“However, post my visit to the Osho ashram in Pune, I’ve begun to look at the game differently. I’m beginning to enjoy it and I am not too worried about what happens in the end. After a certain point, you know what to do but you still fail. It’s all in the head and I’ve realised it.
I used to put myself in good positions for the weekend rounds but couldn’t get the job done. It really hurt me and my stint at Osho helped me rediscover the joy,” added Kapur, who began the Louis Philippe Cup with a fine four-under 68, the joint highest score of the day.
Kapur, who has had a mixed start to the season, said his focus for the year will be the European Tour. “My primary goal right now is Europe, although I will play a few tournaments in Asia.
The best players in the world are from Europe, as the rankings testify. Obviously, prize money matters, but at the same time, the level of the field you are playing against is important. In Europe, you have the best players competing, and playing against them will only help you improve.
“It might sound cliched, but I’m now taking it tournament by tournament. I’ve not set any targets for the season, although I would like to win everything I play in. The focus now is to play good golf every week and give it my all. Things then should take care of themselves.”
