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Kapur realises his major dream

Indian star Shiv Kapur has enjoyed a whirlwind the past one year which includes a maiden Asian Tour victory and qualifying for his first major appearance at The Open Championship next week.

After turning professional in 2004, the Asian Tour stalwart rose to fame with a stunning triumph at the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok last December and in April, he qualified for The Open, which will take place at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, England from July 20-23.

He tells asiantour.com what it means to play in The Open which will include world-class names like Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.

By Shiv Kapur

It's very special to have the opportunity to play in The Open. Being 24-years-old and qualifying for a major is a big deal for me. All my life, I've been waiting for this. A couple of years ago, I was the first alternate at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills but I didn’t manage to get into the field. When I was there, I said to myself that this was what golf is all about - to be a part of a major championship.

At Shinnecock Hills, I was actually hoping for someone to break their hand or get injured! I think David Duval and Jim Furyk were injured then but I never got in. From the Monday to the Wednesday of the week, I must have hit about 5,000 balls at the range. Because I was only the first alternate, the USGA didn’t allow me to play on the course, so I was at the range all the time.

Guys like Vijay Singh, Davis Love and Ernie Els were wondering who this guy was. On the day of the first round, I waited patiently for a possible start but it never came. I probably warmed up three times that day.

But now that I have qualified for a major, I have to go out and play well. I want to prove to myself that I can compete against the best players in the world. This year, I have been lucky to play with some of the best players in the world in the co-sanction events and have been fortunate to play with top guys like Fred Couples and Robert Allenby. It tells you what you need to do to get there. I enjoyed the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth as it was a good field and I hung in there (finishing tied 12th) and performance like that gives me confidence.

When I get to Royal Liverpool, I plan to play two full rounds and probably one nine-hole round. I'm going to practice the bump and run shots a lot. In Asia, we're not used to playing those kind of shots. You've also got to move the ball right to left and left to right and play for the slopes on the fairways. I need to tune my body to links golf.

But it's a lot of fun playing these kind of shots. I always welcome a different challenge. I'll try to get Chubby Chandler (his manager at International Sports Management) to set me up with some of his top guys for practice rounds as well.

I played in the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles several weeks ago which was actually good preparation for The Open. I got on the lousy end of the draw for the opening two rounds and it was either super cold, windy or raining. I got the worse of the weather which I guess was good for me as it's going to be similar at Royal Liverpool.

During my trip up to Scotland, I took time off to play at Royal Liverpool twice. It was a useful trip as I plotted out what I need to do at The Open. The course is totally dependent on where the wind blows from.

You can be hitting a four iron or a driver at the same hole because of the winds. The key is to keep the ball out of the bunkers. And like all Opens, the rough will always be there. Every bunker at Royal Liverpool is a pot bunker. At best, you can possibly advance the ball some 10 to 15 yards and if you're too close to the lip, you won't get the ball onto green. It'll be a matter of placing the ball and strategising.

It was good to play those two practice rounds as I didn't want to have to figure out the golf course when I get in there during the Open week. I've got an invite to play in the Barclays Scottish Open in the week prior to The Open and I hope to be in Liverpool on the Monday of the championship. This way, I can reassert what I need to do but I'm sure the course conditions will be totally different from my practice rounds.

As this is my first Open, I certainly can't compare it with other events. All I know is that I have to plan carefully on what to hit from off the tee. Course management will play a huge part. The winner for the week won't be about who hits it the best. I'm a pretty straight hitter but then again, I don't know what to expect.

I will go out with the attitude to have fun. It's my first major, and I'm sure it'll be great being there. I feel my game is good and I'll soak in the atmosphere. My parents will be at the Open as well and my good mate, Neeraj Sareen (who normally caddies for Shiv) will most probably caddie for me.

In April, my coach Kel Llwellyn was in India and we worked on a few things for links golf like ball flight control, which is such a crucial part in the Open. I'm going to have to keep the ball low and manoeuvre it around.

I always looked at myself as an ambassador for India and Asia. Golf here is on the upswing and if we go out and do well, it bodes well for our Tour and the future of the game. When I was growing up, I saw the likes of Zhang Lian-wei playing in the US Masters, followed by Thongchai Jaidee this year. These sort of things inspire me.

I think it's fantastic and it shows the strength of our Tour. I think the world recognises our strength as some of the guys from the other Tours tell me often that our Tour is a good one. But we have to back it up with performances as it'll bring more respect to our Tour.

I was eight when I first watched the 1991 British Open. But I've also got a lot of old tapes and I just got into it. The Open Championship is just different from everything else.

July 12, 2006