Shiv soars 135 places after S African Open

New Delhi: Jeev Milkha Singh remains the highest ranked Indian at 59th but Shiv Kapur made the most spectacular jump of all by leapfrogging 135 places to 226th in the latest official golf rankings following his second place finish in the South African Open Championship.

Shiv came tantalisingly close to lifting his maiden European Tour title at the Pearl Valley Golf Estates in Western Cape, South Africa. Going into the final round three shots off lead, Shiv tied Briton Richie Ramsay at 13-under after regulation play to force a playoff.The Delhi pro, however, lost the plot in playoff and could not nail the 12-foot putt for his first European Tour title.The second place finish, however, earned him a cool Euro 1,15,000 cheque and the Indian, who went into the tournament as the world number 361, rose to 226th in the latest rankings. Among other Indians, rising star Gaganjeet Bhullar is ranked 168th, while veteran Jyoti Randhawa has slipped to 218. Indian Open champion C Muniyappa (395) is ranked just inside 400. PTI