A future on the fairways

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: Marred by internal conflicts, Indian sport often makes news for all the wrong reasons. However, rising young stars like Shiv Kapur and Sania Mirza dictate the future, as they strive to achieve global excellence in their respective sports. A 2002 Asian Games gold medal winner for golf, Shiv Kapur has proved that he can not only hold his own amongst his peers but also has the potential to take Indian golf to a new high.

Though the Asian Tour board chose not to grant him a board exemption to play on the tour this year — an exemption that could have been given to him keeping in mind his achievement — Shiv was given a country exemption and participated in the qualifying school in Malaysia last week, to better his ranking. The 24-year-old was the only Indian to finish in the top 40, carding a 10th place finish that now gives him an opportunity to play some of the co-sanctioned events. His excellent temperament shone through on the final day of qualifying school when he shot a bogey-free four-under-par 68 — which included a chip-in for birdie on the last hole — to jump from overnight 27th place to 10th.

Shiv embarked on his professional career in August last year after returning from college in the US, where he missed qualifying for the US Open by a single stroke. After a 15th place finish in his first pro tournament, he won the second tournament he participated in, followed by three second place finishes before ending the year with a victory at the Surya Nepal Masters after winning the three-man playoff. He started 2005 by finishing second yet again, this time loosing in a playoff at the RCGC Open in Kolkota.

Though the Delhi youngster dreams of winning The Masters some day, Shiv definitely has the capability to follow in Daniel Chopra's footsteps — Chopra started out playing at the Delhi Golf Course just like him and is now a regular on the PGA Tour.