'I'm an adrenaline junkie'

Ace Indian golfer Shiv Kapur was recently in town to play the ‘Hero Indian Open 2012’ tournament on the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course. Metrolife caught up with the man, who has been New Delhi’s pride in the field of golf.
 

With regard to this tournament, he feels that the expectations are the same as with every game. “I want to win.

But sometimes, it’s good to tone down one’s expectations, be patient and take things one day at a time,” says Shiv, who grew up dreaming of winning the national open title.

Unlike many of the professional golfers around, he was not always serious about playing the sport full-time — until he won his first tournament, when he was 14 years old.

“Till I won that game, I was like any other Indian kid with my first love
being cricket. In fact, I played football and all the other sports in school as well,” shares Shiv.

He goes on to tell the story of how his parents were not too keen on the idea of their son becoming a golfer. “They wanted me to study, become an investment banker and follow in the footsteps of my father, who is a stock broker. I kind of broke the mould when I won the gold medal in the 2002 Asian Games.

That was when my parents gave me a free rein to do whatever I wanted. I told them to give me five years to see if I could make it. If not, I had my education to fall back on,” recalls the 30-year-old.

What few people know is that he is a man of many passions. When he’s not out in the course playing a game of golf, one can find him pursuing one of his many hobbies. “I do a bunch of things — you could find me skydiving or being extremely lazy and watching four movies in a row at home. I even enjoy cooking every now and then,” confesses Shiv. “I’m an adrenaline junkie, but I can also be really lazy when I have time off,” he adds.

Coming to Bangalore is always good news for him, regardless of whether it is for leisure or sport. “It’s good that the Indian Open has been shifted to the KGA course this year. In tournaments abroad, there’s a proper system of rotating courses. When I’m playing on my home course, there’s too much pressure on me. I think the Bangalore course may be better for my game,” he concludes.