Achievements
* Won gold at the 2002 Busan Asian Games
* Earned his European Tour card for 2007
* Finished 2007 European game, by being amongst the top 115 on the Order of Merit
Shiv Kapur is one of Asia’s rising stars, after making an impressive entry into the professional world. Soaring new heights, today, Kapur is counted as one amongst the top consistent players in the golf scenario of India. After dominating the Indian amateur circuit and bagging the 2002 Asian Games individual gold medal in Korea, Kapur went on to complete his higher education, but remained in touch with his passion, by playing in the US amateur circuit. In the present times, he is counted as the newest entry to the Indian golf hall of fame. To know more about this strikingly talented golfer, read through the following lines.
Early Life & Introduction To Golf
Shiv Kapur was born on February 12, 1982 in New Delhi. Having a knack for playing golf, he learned the game and refined his skills at Delhi Golf Club. He dominated the Malaysian Amateur Open and Indian amateur golf circuit in 2000. His father, a stock broker by profession, wanted young Kapur to study at Harvard University. However, Shiv Kapur opted for Purdue University, as he felt it would benefit his golfing career as well.
Career
Talking about the career graph, Shiv Kapur though was prepared to step into the professional world of golf, in the year 2000, reserved himself to playing amateur golf, as he went on to pursue higher studies in the Purdue University, Indianapolis, United States. Playing in the U.S. amateur circuit, the climax of this short professional career of Shiv Kapur was his gold winning feat in the Busan Asian Games 2002, where he became the second Indian to claim the honor, after Laxman Singh, who clinched the gold at the Delhi Asiad in 1982. Kapur’s first appearance as a professional player came in the year 2004.
Later in 2005, he won the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok and also ended close on several games. Defeating compatriot and 2004 champion – Jyoti Randhawa, he won with a tournament record of 20-under-par 268. In the following year i.e. in 2006, Kapur matured as a player and qualified for his maiden Major at the British Open, however, missing the halfway cut at Royal Liverpool. He started the year well with a tied fifth finish at the Johnnie Walker Classic on home soil. Later in the same year, he finished as top 20 on six occasions and also drew his biggest cheque at the Barclays Singapore Open, when he collected US $123,000 for finishing single in the fifth spot.
The 2006 season ended on a perfect note, as Kapur earned his European Tour card for 2007 by finishing 116th on the Order of Merit. In the year 2007, Kapur finished close (tied in the second position) to the second Asian Tour title, in the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open. His best performance for the year was when he was chasing eventual winner, Mikko Ilonen. The performance won him another top 10 at the star-studded Barclays Singapore Open and two other top 20s. However, during the middle of the season, he struggled with a back spasm and eventually suffered from under confidence. However, he managed to secure his card in Europe, by finishing amongst the top 115 on the Order of Merit.
Professional Wins
Amateur Wins
2000 – Indian Amateur Open, Malaysian Amateur Open
2002 – Asian Games Individual Gold Medal
Asian Tour wins
2005 – Volvo Masters of Asia
