Jeev chases Major dreams, to play fewer events

Greater Noida, Sep 19 (PTI) After years of living a life out of suitcase, the nomad in Jeev Milkha Singh is finally slowing down and the golf pro says he would compete in fewer events in future to attain his ultimate dreams of winning a Major title.

After a rather mundane 2007, things brightened up again for Jeev this year with his triumphs at the Bank Austria Open
on the European Tour and Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega
Sammy Cup in Japan. A slew of strong finishes, including the
tied ninth place in P.G.A. Championship, has also done a world
of good to his morale and the Indian believes he has the game
to win on the P.G.A. Tour, possibly a Major.

"I have played in every tour. My goal is to win a P.G.A.
Tour title and then a Major. I feel I do have the game to
achieve that but I still need to work hard and remain
physically fit.

"I hope to get a Major title sometime under my belt,"
Jeev, who has won on the Asian, European and Japan Tours, told
reporters here.

There was a time when Jeev played 40-week-a-year,
hitch-hiking his way to Asian Tour, Japan Tour, European Tour
and PGA Tour but the seasoned pro now realises he has to
streamline his calendar to prolong his career.

"I guess I would have to drop Asian and Japan Tours in
that case. I mean I would play a few tournaments there but
anything more is not possible for me if I want to continue
till my 50s," he said.

Nursing an ankle injury, Jeev ruled himself out of next
month's Indian Open and said, "I guess it's not possible this
year. I'm currently going through rehabilitation where I play
two weeks and take the next week off. It's disappointing not
to play at home but I cannot take chance.

"Already I cannot practice enough. I want to hit 300
balls a day but can't do more than 100 because the pain comes
back. I run a mile everyday but I could not do that for the
last two months. I have put on three kilos as well and I'm not
happy with it."

He, however, promised to play in the BILT Open in
December as a mark of his solidarity with the Professional
Golf Tour of India.

Jeev also vowed to give his best for the country when he
partners Jyoti Randhawa in the World Cup in November.

"I should not sound over-confident but I can say that we
have very good prospect in China.

"Jyoti is an excellent player and his experience of
playing in the earlier World Cups would come handy," he added.

Jeev was not too worried with Randhawa's slump in form
and said, "He is not fully fit and is recovering from flu.
Everybody goes through such phase. But he is a rock solid
player and I hope we would shine in tandem."

Jeev cherishes his tied ninth finish in the P.G.A.
Championship -- best by an Indian in a Major -- and said life
is fun on P.G.A. Tour.

Recalling incidents where people mistook him for Vijay
Singh's kin, Jeev said, "Sometimes, they would call me Vijay's
son, sometimes his brother. It's really funny."

Jeev also thanked fans for their support and said,
"During the P.G.A. Championship, whenever I hit a good shot,
some 200-300 Indians following me would chant 'Singh is King'.
It was so amusing." PTI AY
KNO
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