Shiv Kapur believes the Indian players in the field have an opportunity to make their dreams come true at this week’s Hero Indian Open.
Kapur has spent nine of the last ten years on The European Tour, winning twice on The Challenge Tour to regain his card at the first attempt in 2013.
And the 33 year old, who will be seeking a first European Tour victory at Delhi Golf Club, hopes some of the local challengers can earn an opportunity to further their careers with The European Tour co-sanctioning the event for the first time.
“As a kid growing up, it was always my dream to play on The European Tour,” said Kapur.
“A lot of people say it’s the PGA Tour, but because the golf we watched on TV was The European Tour it was just so firm in my mind that I wanted to be there one day.
“Tournaments like the Hero Indian Open give our players the opportunity to get a career on The European Tour. SSP Chowrasia has twice won events in India to win a Tour card and then I personally benefited from playing well in co-sanctioned events like the Indian Open and have been playing The European Tour for eight years as a result.
“That has helped my development as a player. It’s called The European Tour, but it really is the world tour. You play in so many countries in every type of condition – hot weather, cold weather, wind, rain; you experience everything. The courses are so different too – different grasses, different altitudes – you really get everything.
“When I was starting out on The European Tour I was lucky enough to interact with guys like Adam Scott, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood and they all said to me: ‘if you want to become a complete player then you have to play on The European Tour’.
“It’s true because you learn so much more about playing different courses and in different conditions. I don’t mean to be derogatory to the PGA Tour but it is very one dimensional, whereas The European Tour teaches you to play the game in so many different ways and for so many of the young Indian players here this week, it represents a great opportunity to really further their careers by winning a place on The European Tour.”
Kapur is joined in the field this week by the most successful Indian in European Tour history – four-time winner Jeev Milkha Singh.
And The European Tour’s presence has encouraged the 43 year old to return to his National Open.
“It has been a while since I’ve come back to play at my National Open so it’s an exciting week for me,” said Singh.
“There’s a lot of history especially on this golf course. The Delhi Golf Club is a course where I’ve played in a lot of junior and professional tournaments. It is good that we have our National Open here. It’s also very important that the tournament is co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour and European Tour.
“I’m very proud to see young Indian players emerging on the international stage. You know, a lot of those young guys looked at me and what I managed to achieve in my career and thought ‘if Jeev can do it then so can we’, so it’s a very nice feeling to see them coming through. These young guys look up to me but I’m just doing to do my job in the best way possible.
“The guys are giving me the respect and I’m grateful for that. I still feel that I got a few years in me, though, and I’ll give it a go again.”
