FEATURE

Anirban Lahiri

Shiv Kapur

G o l f P l u s J U L Y 2 0 1 5 4 7

FEATURE

up missing the cut.Balky putter costs ShivA steady two over par on the fi rst day put Shiv in good shape to make the cut, but the second day was far from ideal. Playing in the blustery afternoon conditions, Shiv found the going rough from the get-go and shot a seven over par 77 to miss the cut. Unfortunately, he could not repeat last years stellar performance; where he tied for twenty third alongside world number one -Rory Mcilroy. I played solid from tee to green but my putting left much to be desired. The good news is that both Shiv and Anirban are richer by this experience and will draw on it in the future. Competing with the best players in the world is each golfers aim, and I am sure that this experience will come in handy in our subsequent major championships said Shiv.

Taking SuccorThe US Open might not have gone his way, but Anirban has a penchant for shining on the links. He had a memorable hole in one en route to fi nishing thirty fi rst in his maiden British Open in 2012 and looks

By Shaurya Singh

MAKING MAJOR STRIDESSHIV AND ANIRBAN AT THE US OPEN

or the fi rst time in the history of Indian Golf, two Indian players were competing in the same US Open Championship and the tournament in mention was no ordinary US Open. It was an Open which

gave us moments of both shock and awe; a championship where Tiger Woods disastrous sixteen over par two day total, Chamber Bays unruly putting greens and Jordan Speiths emphatic victory received equal media attention. For India though, it was a special occasion; one fi lled with pride and joy as two of its fi nest golfers were about to compete on the grandest stage in Golf. The Flag bearersFor the better part of the last two decades the trio of Jeev, Jyoti and Atwal has been representing the country at major championships the world over, between the three of them they have appeared in twenty three major championships. Their contribution to Indian Golf is immeasurable and their stature unquestionable but, the surge of youngsters and the globalization of the game has made it tougher for this famed trio to qualify for the majors (the last major appearance by any one of them was at the 2012 PGA Championship; by Jeev). The baton it seems, has now been passed on to the trio of Anirban, Shiv and Gaganjeet who have already chalked up ten Major championship appearances between themselves. Anirban-Undone by a few bad bouncesAnirbans American sojourn has been a case of near misses. Whether the WGC Match Play, The Masters or other events, he has not garnered the sort of success that one would expect from him. At the US Open, he was rather unlucky to have not made it to the weekend rounds. A slew of late bogeys saw him miss the cut by two shots, The course was playing very tough, I was able to hang tough for the majority of my round, but a few bad bounces in the latter stages undid my round and I ended

all set to make his mark at St Andrews for this years Open Championship. I have been playing well but, have not been able to bring it home. I should have made the cut in the US Open but, late bogeys undid my campaign. I have learnt from the experience, and I am sure will have a strong outing at the British Open. For Shiv, the picture is slightly different as he is yet to qualify for the British Open I am in two minds whether to play the Alstom French Open on the European Tour or the Open qualifi er. Well... Whatever tournament he chooses to play, there is little doubt that he will be among the contenders on the fi nal day.Will India produce a Major Champion?Indian golfers have now won on all the major tours in the world, the only trophy missing now is a major championship. There is little reason why one of our golfers cannot win it. After all, if South Korean YE Yang can do it, then so can one of ours.In order for an Indian to win a major championship, it is important to have multiple players performing well on the PGA and European Tour. South Korea is a very good example of this; they have a plethora of golfers performing well on the PGA and Nationwide Tour.For an Indian player winning a major is akin to the three minute-mile. Therefore, one of our players will have to shoulder the responsibility of being the path breaker and take it upon himself to motivate the others with his play. A Pivotal moment for Indian GolfAnirbans foray onto the US PGA tour and Shivs consistent performance on the European Tour has instilled belief in many others. It is no coincidence that players such as Rashid, Chikka, Rahil and the likes have started performing well on the International tours. The scene is ripe for Indias major moment, and for a betting man the timing could not have been better. With so many Indians competing internationally it is not a matter of if, but when.

F

The course was playing very

tough, I was able to hang tough for

the majority of my round, but a few bad bounces

in the latter stages undid my

round and I ended up