Shiv Kapur jokes his parents abandoned him at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) three decades back only to be adopted by the sprawling greens. Having virtually grown up at the famed Lodhi Course, watching the likes of Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, and Gaurav Ghei go about their business, it was only natural for Shiv to develop a liking for clubs and fairways. The 30-year-old bond — with the sport as well as the venue — is stronger than ever.
"I started as a scorer here, aged 10-11. Back then, I would slyly practice putting inside the Lal Bangla compound. From then to now, playing for the trophy built as a Lal Bangla replica on my home course, life has come full circle. I still feel there is some fight left in me and I hope to push the youngsters," the 41-year-old said.
Come Thursday, Kapur, who finished tied-48th at last month's Hero Indian Open, will be up against a 138-strong field on his home course as the second edition of the $750,000 DGC Open gets underway.
"It is hard to win at home. I would always put too much pressure on myself. I almost wanted it too badly. To have that breakthrough lifted a huge burden off my shoulders," Kapur said, referring to his Panasonic Open win here in 2017, his first Asian Tour title on home soil.
The course, redone by Gary Player, hosted the inaugural DGC Open last year, an Asian Tour event characterised by testing conditions and high scores.
{{/usCountry}}The course, redone by Gary Player, hosted the inaugural DGC Open last year, an Asian Tour event characterised by testing conditions and high scores.
{{/usCountry}}"Last year, it was quite windy over the weekend, so the course was a lot drier and harder, making it difficult to control the ball. This time, the course is playing a lot softer as of now," Kapur, who played a practice round earlier in the day, said.
"The winning score last year was 7-under which is quite an anomaly. Usually, the winning score here is 14-15-under. Given the way the course played last time, I see similar scores again. It all depends on how they water the course."
The windy conditions last year had played havoc with overnight leaders Veer Ahlawat and Ajeetesh Sandhu. While Ahlawat dropped from solo lead to T5 on Day 3, Sandhu just about held his second position, ending the day one over par. Sandhu's bad third round gave a three-stroke lead to Nitithorn Thippong going into the final round, an advantage that was enough for the Thai to force a playoff where he beat the Indian.
Sandhu, nursing a back injury, won't be here for another shot at the title but a host of talented Indians, from an in-form S Chikkarangappa to the talented Yuvraj Sandhu, will be in action at the redesigned course. The star-studded field will have four of the top 10 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit. These include Sadom Kaewkanjana, currently fourth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Gunn Charoenkul (6th), Berry Henson (8th), and Suradit Yongcharoenchai (10th). Defending champion Thippong is currently 49th on the list.
"In the past, the greens were quite flat and once you hit the fairway, 70 percent of your work was done. Now, the approaches into the greens, specifically par 5s, and some of the longer par 4s require you to hit certain sections of the greens. Scoring in general has become harder here, but the course has settled down a bit.
"I expect it to play slightly easier than last year because of the softer conditions. Now, there's more premium on iron play whereas earlier there was more premium off the tee," Kapur, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour, said.