By IANS
New Delhi : Shiv Kapur is back home in Delhi to take a break from his hectic international schedule. The golfer who is fresh from a good week at Johnnie Walker Classic having posted a tied fifth is confident of a good year and is now preparing for a long season ahead.
“It’s been a mixed year for me so far. I have missed out on three to four weeks of competitive golf due to ill health. I had a great week at the Johnnie Walker Classic where I posted a tied fifth finish despite being unwell at the start of the tournament,” Kapur said.
“I also started on a high at the Dubai Desert Classic as I went head to head with Tiger Woods for three days but unfortunately could not finish well. I’m now looking forward to the long season ahead as I have another 21 events to play this year,” he added.
Kapur also said that there is a need to restrict the number of the tournaments in order to save a player from burnout.
“I’m still trying to learn what works for me as it’s only my third year on the international circuit. I haven’t settled on the right formula but I definitely think that if you play too much you cannot be competitively sharp every week because golf’s such an exhausting sport that you need to be mentally sharp all the time.”
Kapur said that Jeev Milkha Singh has been in great form this season and has a good chance of delivering a “memorable performance” at the US Masters that started Thursday.
“He (Jeev) played well at the WGC-CA Championship recently and has been in the hunt two out of the last four weeks that he’s played. There’s no doubt that he has the ability to beat the best in the world but it’s just a question of finding form at the right time.”
Kapur who has been utilising his short sabbatical from the sport by working on his fitness and sharpening his weak areas said: “I’m trying to get in shape for the long stretch ahead. I’ve worked a lot on my short game and sharpened up areas that were not so sharp. In the last couple of weeks I have had seven to eight hour sessions on the course where I have concentrated on my short game.
“My primary goal is to win on the European Tour this year and qualify for the PGA Championship. I’m also aiming at getting into the top 100 of the world and securing a berth at the Volvo Masters,” added Kapur, who rates winning gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan as his most memorable achievement.