Kapur hopes to hit peak soon

Shiv Kapur’s career graph has been quite similar to his performance in the Indian Open so far -- lacking consistency after an early surge.

After enjoying a brilliant Asian Tour debut in 2005 where he emerged the Rookie of the Year following his one and only victory at the Volvo Masters of Asia, the 30-year-old Kapur has generally flattered to deceive.

Although he graduated to the European Tour the following year and has successfully maintained his card until now, titles have gone dry for the talented Delhiite with plenty of other youngsters like Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar scoring multiple wins on the Asian Tour to emerge as the new faces of Indian golf.

The unfortunate part though is that Kapur has come close to breaking the duck a few times only to walk away disappointed. “You play sport to win and I am frustrated that I haven’t been able to live up to my own expectations,” said Kapur of his lean patch.

“Any time you start off your career on a real high note, it’s always difficult to match that standard and everybody expects you hold to that standard. I am not trying to put myself in the same league as Woods but he has set the bar so high that even if he finishes on second or third or goes couple of months without a win everyone talks about how woefully he is out of form and how badly he is playing.

“If I were to look at it objectively, from where I started and how I’ve been playing six years continuously on the European tour and coming very close to success, I think personally there have been certain things I have outdone myself. I didn’t expect to be in European Tour in the second year itself and I have managed to keep my card for five solid seasons.

“Last year was a bit of a lean patch and this summer till August. I’ve been playing well after August and have been consistently in leaderboards. I haven’t scored over par in two months. That’s a good sign. In the bigger picture I would have liked to achieve more and lucky that in golf you have a long career -- you have 20 years to prove yourself. I expect to hit my prime in the next 4-5 years,” added the 2002 Asian Games champion.

Kapur, who is currently ranked 136 on the European Tour Merit List and is fighting hard to save his card, said he would switch his focus back to Asia in such a scenario. “I have been travelling a lot in last 4 -5 years and it’s beginning to get to me. Having said that I still got Singapore and Hong Kong Opens and I know if I play well there, I’ll retain my Europe card.

“It’s just hard to give up playing on bigger tours. Unlike in the past, I am not losing sleep over it. If I get the card well enough, else I will play in Asia. I think the future of golf is in this region. European Tour is losing some tournaments and Asian Tour is adding newer and bigger events. I have won the Rookie of Year in Asia; may be next year would be good to try winning the Order of Merit title,” said Kapur.