2 days Ago By Mid-day
Golf may well be the final melting pot for many a top sports star. Cricketers, footballers, basketballers, tennis players et al. As they near the end of their chosen careers, they gravitate towards golf.
The competition and the adrenaline keeps them engaged and hooked. It was no different for Nikhanj. ADVERTISEMENT He dabbled in a bit of football, but once he hung up his cricketing boots, he went to hit few balls.
He loved seeing the ball soar into the skies, just as it did when he smashed sixes and the ball disappeared into the crowds. He fell in love with the game. No surprise, as sport was his second nature.
That was in 1994. He progressed so fast that scribes like this one, even suggested he try to play the Asian Games. A couple of years later, he confessed to me, that he would love nothing more than donning India colours at an Asian Games.
T20 World Cup 2024 | "I was almost in tears laughing": Mitchell Marsh But Kapil was not made for golf alone. Cricket commentary, other business interests and a flourishing sports management company kept him busy. Yet, by 1998 golf had become a passion, bordering on obsession.
His handicap was coming down fast - it was said to be scratch at one time. Over the next decade and a half, Kapil was the drawcard at Pro-Ams. Clubhouse tales of how he could beat the best in ‘minor’ (sometimes more than minor!) money games at the club, abounded.
All Kapil folklore. He just laughed. Soon at golf clubs, he would seek out pros for tips - imagine.
