Shiv Kapur fires record 62 with hole-in-one to lead IGPL Invitational 2026
Synopsis
Shiv Kapur didn't just start the second half of the IGPL Invitational 2026 well — he rewrote the Al Hamra GC record books. A bogey-free 10-under 62, punctuated by a hole-in-one with a 5-wood on the Par-3 15th, puts the Dubai-based Asian Tour winner four clear of the field and marks what he himself called one of his career best rounds.
Key Takeaways
Shiv Kapur fired a bogey-free 10-under 62 at Al Hamra GC, Ras Al Khaimah on 23 September 2026 , equalling the course record.
Kapur made a hole-in-one on the Par-3 15th using a 5-wood , his ninth score of the round.
He leads the IGPL Invitational 2026 by four shots after round one, representing RVR Delhi Blue Bulls .
Four players — Ravi Kumar , Joshua Grenville-Wood , Varun Parikh , and Varun Chopra — are tied second at 6-under 66 .
Four-time IGPL champion Gaganjeet Bhullar is tied 10th after a costly back-nine run of bogeys.
Kapur said the 10-under 62 is his personal best in an official IGPL event, surpassing previous 9-under 62s .
Shiv Kapur, the Dubai-based multiple Asian Tour winner, stormed to the top of the leaderboard on the opening day of the second half of the IGPL Invitational 2026 at Al Hamra GC in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, shooting a bogey-free 10-under 62 — equalling the course record — and capping his round with a stunning hole-in-one on the Par-3 15th. Kapur, who represents RVR Delhi Blue Bulls, leads the field by four shots after the first round.
A Record-Equalling Round
Kapur's 62 was as clean as they come — eight birdies, an ace, and not a single dropped shot. He opened with a birdie on the first and then ignited with four consecutive birdies from the third to the sixth, before further birdies on the eighth, 13th, and 14th. The round's defining moment arrived at the Par-3 15th, where Kapur struck a 5-wood that landed just right of the flag and rolled in for a hole-in-one, taking him to 10-under. He turned in 6-under 30 and closed with three steady pars to complete a round he described as one of his career best.
Speaking after his round, Kapur said, 'The round was pretty solid. I think no real mistakes, very solid from tee to green, holed all the putts that I needed to. Obviously, the icing on the cake was when I had a perfect 5-iron on the 15th hole, (which) landed just right of the flag and rolled in perfectly.' He added that while he has shot a 60 at the Els Club and previously fired 9-under 62s, this 10-under 62 is his best score in an official IGPL event.
Fitness Push Paying Off
The performance comes directly off the back of a dedicated off-season programme. Kapur returned just days ago from a boot camp with a personal trainer, focused on fitness, diet, and lifestyle adjustments ahead of the second half of the season. 'I've done quite a lot of work in the off-season on my game, on my fitness, on my diet, my lifestyle, a lot of things just to re-energise myself,' he said. The effort was evidently well-timed, with Kapur producing arguably his sharpest competitive round in years.
The Chasing Pack
Four players share second place at 6-under 66, a full four strokes behind the leader. They are debutant Ravi Kumar, UAE's Joshua Grenville-Wood, Varun Parikh of Flying Man, Kolkata, and Varun Chopra of Auro Realty, Goa. Grenville-Wood, who received his UAE citizenship three years ago, produced an eagle on the Par-5 third alongside six birdies and two bogeys. Varun Chopra's round featured a remarkable closing stretch — five consecutive birdies from the first to the fifth hole to finish at 6-under. Shaurya Binu carded a 67 to sit sixth, while Tushar Pannu, Raghav Chugh, and Sukhman Singh are tied seventh at 4-under 68.
Bhullar Struggles on Back Nine
Four-time IGPL champion Gaganjeet Bhullar found the back nine costly, carding a cluster of bogeys to slip into a tie for 10th place. He is joined in that grouping by debutant Arjun Prasad, teen prospect Veer Ganapathy, and Samarth Dwivedi. Sachin Baisoya, who started alongside Bhullar and Kapur from the first, carded a 72.
What's Next
With plenty of golf still to play at Al Hamra GC, Kapur himself cautioned that the tournament is far from over. 'Obviously, long way to go in the tournament, but always a good start this way; hopefully I can carry on, keep the momentum going,' he said. The chasing pack, stacked with debutants and seasoned campaigners alike, will look to close the gap in the rounds ahead.
Point of View
Knowing these courses the way home-crowd favourites rarely do in global golf. The four-shot cushion is significant, but the more telling detail is the architecture of the 62: no dropped shots, a birdie burst in the middle of the front nine, and a hole-in-one when he was already deep in red figures. The debutants clustering at 6-under suggest this IGPL field is younger and more competitive than previous editions, which only sharpens what Kapur has to hold off. Bhullar's back-nine wobble at a course where he has historically been strong is a subplot worth watching — four IGPL wins make him the benchmark, and a slow start raises the stakes for his remaining rounds.
NationPress
23 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Shiv Kapur shoot in the opening round of IGPL Invitational 2026?
Shiv Kapur shot a bogey-free 10-under 62 at Al Hamra GC in Ras Al Khaimah on 23 September 2026, equalling the course record. The round included eight birdies and a hole-in-one on the Par-3 15th.
What was Shiv Kapur's hole-in-one at IGPL 2026?
Kapur aced the Par-3 15th hole using a 5-wood. The shot landed just right of the flag and rolled into the cup, taking him to 10-under for the tournament. He described it as 'the icing on the cake' of an already exceptional round.
Who is trailing Shiv Kapur after round one of IGPL Invitational 2026?
Four players are tied second at 6-under 66 — Ravi Kumar, Joshua Grenville-Wood (UAE), Varun Parikh (Flying Man, Kolkata), and Varun Chopra (Auro Realty, Goa). They sit four shots behind Kapur.
How did Gaganjeet Bhullar perform in the opening round?
Four-time IGPL champion Gaganjeet Bhullar struggled on the back nine, carding multiple bogeys to finish tied 10th. He is well off the pace set by Kapur after the first round.
Is Shiv Kapur's 62 at Al Hamra GC a personal best in IGPL events?
Yes. Kapur confirmed this 10-under 62 is his best score in an official IGPL event. He has previously carded 9-under 62s in IGPL rounds and a 60 at the Els Club, but a 10-under 62 in official competition is a new personal benchmark for him.
