THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 18, 2013

Shiv Kapur

Q. Talk about your round.
SHIV KAPUR: Got off to a dream start. I birdied my first three, and after that I just said, just keep doing what you're doing, do the basics right, hit fairways and greens. Probably the fastest greens I've ever played in my life. They weren't green, they were white out there. And couldn't get the ball to sort of stop. So I knew it's tough to hole putts out there, but you've just got to keep giving yourself chances. And putts fell for me on the front nine. I didn't really feel like I played badly on the back nine either. But on the 10th I found a fairway bunker and made a three-putt out of nowhere. And that happens on this golf course. 14 was really the bad drive to I hit. I pulled it a bit left. But you have to take your medicine, take your bogey and just get out of there. I guess if at the start of the day you'd said 3-under I would take it. Obviously when you're 6-under after 9, you hope you can hold on on the back nine. All in all the way the course was playing, I don't think I could really complain.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: Yeah, it's nice. Nobody is expecting me to be up there and nobody was really -- it's a funny name in the middle of all those sort of proven Major winners and stuff. But it's nice to be -- it was nice to see my name up there. At least I can hold my head up high and say I led The Open Championship, the greatest tournament I think there is. And that's something I'll take a lot of pride in.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: It's probably pretty close to the best nine holes I've ever played. The back nine, obviously was a bit scratchy. But I think it's pretty close to the best nine holes I've ever played.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: Yeah, I wasn't thinking of that, luckily. It was just trying to get the ball started on line, like I was saying earlier. I've never played greens this fast in my life. I don't know about the others, but they felt like they weren't rolling. It was like putting on glass, it was like 14. And when you're putting downwind and downhill, it's close to 16 or 17 on the Stimp. The guys I was playing with as well, on 16, Scott Jamieson, he had a two-footer from above the hole and he lipped out and went 12 feet by. It's easily done over here. People keep talking about the U.S. Open having the toughest greens. I'd like to know what people think of this, as well.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: Yeah, from what I heard, you know, they were not going to be watering from Tuesday. So obviously it was going to -- and obviously it's dry, it's hot. It's a bit like the last Open I played at Hoylake, where everything just burned out. But the only difference is the rough here is pretty penal. I like the way the course sets up in general. The trouble sort of confronts you. You know where the bunkers are, not many blind shots. I came here on Saturday, so I've had four full rounds in here. I think they're expecting different winds tomorrow, so it's going to be a slightly different golf course. But this is the sort of wind we practiced in. Club selection, at least, off the tees, was a little bit easier.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: It's the oldest, you know, and plus I haven't played many other (laughter). Also, I think coming from India, this was the one you always watched because it's primetime on television in India. The ones in America, obviously, the Masters, no disrespect to any of the other Majors, it's on at two or three in the morning, and this is on at 5:00 in the evening. I think there will be a few people in India sitting in the pub watching this. I watched a lot of Open championships growing up, so for me it held a special place in my heart.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: It's kind of nice, I guess. Like I said, I've got nothing to lose. I'm going out there and playing my game. Obviously you have your own personal expectations and your own goals and I know what I can expect of myself. And just kind of -- you go out there and play quietly. In fact, we were walking down the 10th fairway and my playing partner said to me, "I thought it was going to be a quiet afternoon round, and now look at what you've done to me with the cameras all around." Usually you just go about your business and nobody really comes in the way. But it's nice to have that. It was great to see my name up there and it's something I'll be very proud of.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: As much as I can, and not a lot. In the summer I base myself over here and Europe. Delhi is still home. I still call Delhi home, and Delhi Golf Club is still my home club. I spend maybe two months a year over there.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: It's early days yet, but, yes, of course. I think what India really needs, or Asia in general, like Y.E. Yang doing it; it was a big thing for Korea. In India golf is already the fastest growing sport statistically. We have two Indian journalists who know that. Golf is really on the up, and if you were to have someone go out and do well in a Major, it gives the young kids a lot of belief, that, hey, if he can do it, I can do it as well. And I think you want to be the guy that's setting the bar for them. And people look up to you and say, if he did it, I can, as well. We have a really strong bunch of young kids coming through in India. I don't think it'll be long before we'll have a handful of Indians playing in the Majors. I think it's just a matter of time. And with more performances like some of the others, Arjun Atwal winning in America, golf became pretty big in India. I think this week if I can keep doing what I'm doing, I think it would be a big step for Indian golf.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: A little less pressure, I guess, you know. When you get 3-under instead of 3-over going into Friday it's a bit nicer. Obviously there's a lot of thoughts and a little bit more attention on me, but I'll enjoy that. I've played enough tournaments where nobody really looks at your score or does anything, so it's nice to actually have people sit up and notice what you're doing.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: Yeah, I was saying the front nine was very special. I think I was in a bit of a trance there for a while. And I wasn't really aware of my score other than the fact that, hey, I'm just trying to make every birdie putt that comes, because I know how tough this golf course can be. And you can make bogeys at any time and without really hitting any bad shots or without making any real poor judgments. It's quite easy just on the greens and around the greens it's easy to drop shots. I just said, get as far under par as you can and hold onto your hat coming in.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: Of course. It's the usual thing with caddies. We played great and he played badly.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: It was a while ago, but just the learning in general, playing links courses, you know, in the last four or five years, six years playing in Europe, we don't play a whole lot of links courses, but you play a few -- the Scottish Open or the Irish Open. Plus I qualified just up the road at Dunbar. So I played -- and I came here on Saturday, so I've kind of got to know the golf course as well as you can. You never really can get to know a links course too well. There are a few fortunate bounces, lucky bounces, and I got my fair share. You can hit a perfect shot and it will hit a downslope and go over the green. But I had my share of luck it on the front nine, as well, and the ball rolling well for me.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: I'm still in a bit of a daze, to be honest. I actually think the best shot I hit today was my second shot into 18. I hit the perfect shot there. I landed it right where I wanted to. It released maybe 10 feet more than I wanted to. I was trying to not get past pin-high, but I think I hit it too good. I hit it straight on the line that I wanted to. It drifted exactly like two or three yards like I was imagining it. And it's nice to finish with that kind of a feeling.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: About 15 feet.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: You know, I watched a bit of the coverage this morning, and I saw the ball bouncing everywhere. So I think in some respects it was good to watch and know. Sometimes you're overcautious. You see something and you get a negative in your mind saying, oh, you don't want to go there, because I saw Ernie take three shots out of that bunker. But I think on the most part you can learn a little bit with the late start. The winds didn't die down like the forecast said it would. So it was quite breezy and the greens obviously don't get any better in the afternoon. It will be nice to go out in the morning, hopefully slightly softer conditions, slightly slower greens. These greens are too fast for me.

Q. (Inaudible.)
SHIV KAPUR: Not tonight. I think I'll hold on until Sunday.