India's rising star Shiv Kapur will have one last throw of the dice at the season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia next week as he bids to end his year with a victory.
The talented Kapur, winner of the Volvo event in 2005, is looking forward to return to the magnificent Thai Country Club from December 6-9 for the elite US $750,000 event exclusive to the top-60 players from the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit.
"It's always good to go back to the Volvo Masters of Asia. I love the way the golf course sets up for me. I think I put too much pressure on myself last year trying to defend and now that the pressure is off, I'm going back to a golf course that I love and my game is heading in the right direction. I'm pretty excited," said Kapur.
Currently ranked 11th on the UBS Order of Merit, Kapur also enjoyed a fairly successful campaign in Europe where he retained his playing privileges for 2008 by finishing 97th on the money list. However, the Indian feels he has yet to fulfill his ambitions for 2007.
"To be honest, I've not been pleased with the year. I started off pretty well but in the middle I had a bad patch. Overall, I'm happy as my game is improving and it's going in the right direction but I am not pleased with my overall season," he said.
Two main faults crept into Kapur's often sturdy game. His driving let him down following swing changes he made while he also conceded he became overly anxious to taste victory again following his success in the 2005 Volvo Masters of Asia which helped him win the Rookie of the Year award.
"I made some swing changes but it's always going to be an excuse. My strength has always been driving the ball onto the fairway and I've got to get back to doing that regularly.
"It's getting better, it's improving. I'm happy with the progress. I've tried to go back to my old normal swing. I guess it's live and learn," said Kapur, who has posted two top-10s in 10 starts on the Asian Tour this season.
"One thing that I learned this year is that you can't be in a hurry. You have to be patient. It's easier said than done but I'm learning. Hopefully it (winning) will happen before the end of the year."
Kapur said his manager Andrew "Chubby" Chandler, who also manages the likes of Ernie Els, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke, sat him down for a pep talk after he had missed 10 cuts from 14 events during mid-season.
"At the start of the year, I said I wanted to win a tournament and there's not many left. As long as I can keep contending, I'm sure it'll come. Chubby told me to be patient. He said 'don't be in a hurry to get to your goal' and that I'm good enough to get there one day. I know now that you can't try and win. You have to let yourself win. Once you put yourself in position often enough, it'll happen," said Kapur.
Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee will be defending his Volvo Masters of Asia title.
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