US Open: Shiv Kapur ties for 23rd; posts best-ever finish by an Indian

Pinehurst: Shiv Kapur rounded off a great week with a final flourish in the form of a birdie on the 18th and a card of 72 that gave him a four-day total of 286 and a tied 23rd place at the US Open golf. Kapur’s 23rd put him alongside Rory McIlroy, Aaron Baddeley and Francesco Molinari and five spots ahead of Phil Mickelson and former US Open winner, Graeme McDowell, who were both tied 28th. Starting at overnight tied 23rd, Kapur stayed at the same position at the end of the tournament and was also the best Asian Tour finisher in the year’s second Major. [caption id=“attachment_1572545” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Shiv Kapur plays a shot on the third hole of the final round. AFP[/caption] Up at the top, Martin Kaymer did not allow nerves get the better of him as he shot one-under 69, the third sub-par round after a pair of 65s on first two days. His nine-under 271 gave him a eight shot win over Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler, both at one-under 279. They were the only three people to shoot under par for the week. It was the second Major for Kaymer, who also won the 2010 PGA Championships. Kaymer is only the second German after Bernhard Langer to win a Major and now he has two. Kapur whose goal was to get into top-10 and back into the US open next year had a tough start with bogeys on first and second, just as in third round. A third bogey on sixth made it three-over and a birdie on 13th seemed to bring him back but he gave away that shot but finally closed with a birdie on 18th for a 72. His other three rounds were 73, 70 and 71. “I am still happy with he way I played and I hit my ball striking was really good and would love to get back to Majors as much as I can. I really enjoyed the week and feel I belong here,” said Kapur. Kapur’s tied 23rd was his best at a Major and it was also the second best by an Indian at any Major after Jeev Milkha Singh’s tied ninth at PGA Championships in 2008. The previous second best was tied 27th by Jyoti Randhawa at the 2004 British Open. The win will also improve the world ranking of Kapur, who started the week at 177th. Asian Tour honorary member Ernie Els of South Africa signed for a 72 for tied 35th place while Noh Seung-Yul, the youngest Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2010, carded a disappointing 74 to slip to a share of 52nd place. Korean American Kevin Na, a former Asian Tour winner, posted a 73 to take a share of 12th place. PTI