RICHARD Kaplan will be looking to restore his position when he travels to the Gaborone Golf Club for this week’s R180000 FNB Botswana Open as a non-exempt player on the Vodacom Tour. Kaplan’s fall from golfing grace has been rapid since he last hit the headlines with his second place finish behind Ernie Els in the Alfred Dunhill PGA Championship at Houghton 13 months ago. The Johannesburg professional has plummeted from third to 63rd on the tour’s moneylist. But Kaplan will be aiming to revive his career with a victory in Botswana this week after narrowly losing out to Justin Hobday for the title two years ago. Hobday beat Kaplan on the first hole of a sudden-death play-off to claim his second win in four weeks. That was the last time the event featured on the Vodacom Tour calendar, and John Macaskill, the Managing Director of FNB Botswana, believes it is imperative to revive the tournament. ”The event is always a very popular one, particularly on Botswana’s sporting front where there are not always as many international competitions as you would get in other countries.” Hobday will not be back to defend his title when the 54-hole event tees off on Thursday, and the absence of a few other big name players leaves the door open for Kaplan to start his comeback.