Creativity is key for Shiv Kapur at The Open

SOUTHPORT (UK): Wary of the unpredictable weather, Indian golfer Shiv Kapur said he would have two strategies to combat the Royal Birkdale course when he tees off at The Open on Thursday.

Kapur, who qualified for The Open by winning the qualifying series in Woburn, has learned from past experience and hopes to put it to good use when he makes his third appearance at The Open.

“I’ve played this golf course in two completely different winds so you need to have two strategies rather than one. You learn how to combat weather when you play on links courses and most of the time the yardage books go out of play. It is a lot of feel, ball flight control and creativity. You need to use a lot of imagination,” said Kapur.

“This is my third Open and I’m comparing the course to my previous experience. It is a tough test but very fair at the same time. The trouble confronts you and there aren’t many blind shots. You got to hit it straight off the tee. There’s a lot of premium to hit the fairways and once you do that you get a chance to eliminate mistakes. Around the greens are easier as compared to other Open courses but tee shots are demanding,” he added. Kapur is wary of the unpredictable weather conditions.

When he played at the 2013 The Open, he was tied fourth after the opening round before ending his campaign in a share of 73rd place.

“It all depends on the weather. If you get good weather then you have a chance to score and if you get a windy or rainy weather, it changes the course completely.

“I played Muirfield and I remember the weather got so hot and the greens were impossible. The fairways were probably faster than the greens so it made it very tricky. By the end of the week, it got cold and windy,” he said. The Indian has enjoyed a stellar season in 2017 after winning his second Asian Tour title in April and qualifying for The Open. He struggled late last year after going for a liver surgery and returned in mid-december after resting for three months. Before the surgery, he lost his European Tour card. “It has been a good year. In the first three months of the year and the end of last year I was really frustrated and the win in Chinese Taipei was the turning point for me,” Shiv said.

“Since then, I’ve kicked on and luckily for me it wasn’t just one good week. I played well at the Thailand Open and in Europe. It is hard to set any scoring goals this week but I want to walk away from four rounds feeling like I played well and didn’t give away any shots,” he said. JOHANNESBURG: India suffered a 1-4 loss to England in the quarter-final of the Women’s Hockey World League Semi Final here on Tuesday.

Dragflicker Gurjit Kaur (57th minute) was India’s lone scorer, while Giselle Ansley (6th), Alex Danson (13th), Susannah Townsend (42nd) and Hannah Martin (60th) sounded the board for England.

India will next play the fifth to eighth placing match on July 20. England put India on the back foot in the first quarter when they won three back-toback PCS which finally resulted in England being awarded a penalty stroke.

It was unfortunate for India when England appealed through a video referral that an Indian defender had crossed the goal line before the injector made the pass. This resulted in India losing a defender in the goal line. Reduced to just three defenders and the goalkeeper, India did well to defend the PC but a foul was called when England attacker’s shot on goal was obstructed by Deep Grace Ekka. Giselle Ansley made no mistake in successfully taking the penalty stroke to fetch England an early 1-0 lead in the 6th minute. They extended the lead in the 13th minute when Alex Danson put the ball past Savita making this her third goal of the tournament.

India began well in the second quarter, winning a PC in the 16th minute when Lilima Minz on the counter attack found England defender’s foot in the circle. But the chance went begging with Anupa Barla missing a deflection off Rani’s flick by inches.

India won another PC in the 28th minute and this time Anupa managed to get a deflection off Rani’s flick but unfortunately hit the cross bar.

BARCELONA vice-president Jordi Mestre insisted on Tuesday that Brazilian star Neymar will be staying in Spain despite rumours linking him with a move to Paris Saint-germain. Asked during a press conference if he could confirm Neymar would remain at Barca ahead of the 2017-18 season, Mestre replied: “200 percent”.

Reports in Spain have suggested PSG are looking to lure the 25-year-old to the Parc des Princes after snapping up Neymar’s international teammate Dani Alves on a free transfer.

“PSG want to finalise the signing of Neymar this summer,” wrote Catalan daily Sport, while the Madrid-based AS newspaper led with the headline “Neymar flirts with PSG”.

PSG are reportedly attempting to take advantage of Neymar’s desire to step out of Lionel Messi’s shadow, with the French club prepared to build a team around the Brazil forward.

“In the background of Neymar’s annoyance there’s always a concern, which has to do with his role in the team and his wish to become a leader,” wrote Sport. “But you have to be aware that there are no shortcuts to leadership and it is something that is earned slowly, naturally and progressively,” it added.

According to Marca, PSG would be willing to stump up the 222 million euros ($256.8 million) required to trigger Neymar’s release clause and would offer him a five-year deal worth 30-plus million euros a season. DOHA: Indian national football team coach Stephen Constantine, presently in charge of the India U-23 side, prefers “long-term goals” rather than looking for quick results from the forthcoming AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers which kicks-off in Doha on Wednesday.

India are scheduled to play Syria in their opening match of the tournament on Wednesday.

“I’ve been a person who have always preferred to build a team for the future. I’m working with this bunch of guys so that a few may come up the ranks and land up with the senior national team in the coming days,” Constantine said in the pre-tournament press conference, here on Tuesday.

India Under-23 side are coming into tournament on the back of a two-week long camp in New Delhi followed by two back-to-back international friendlies against Singapore.

A year back, Syria had made it to the finals of the last edition of the AFC U-23 AFC Championship, but their campaign didn’t go as planned.

“This tournament is of immense importance for us and I believe, as it is for every team here. We’ll give our best to qualify from this group,” Syrian coach Hussein Afash mentioned.