Jeev Milkha Singh: The missing magic

Special Report by Rajlakshmi Retesh

One of the flag bearers of Indian Golf, Jeev Milkha Singh turns 42 this 15 December. However, the original magic of Flying Sikh’s worthy son seems to be missing in this past season. Speculations are many, whether it’s the age catching up or something else’s holding him slow.

His most recent best came on 15 July 2012, a year and a half ago when he beat Francesco Molinari in a sudden-death playoff to win the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. The win secured Singh a spot in the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club. This win was also Singh’s fourth career victory on the European Tour and moved him ahead of Arjun Atwal, making him the most successful Indian golfer in European Tour history. (Read more in Golf)

The reasons known for his slowdown are his index finger injury and also a cyst in his shoulder that has hampered his game in past one year. It has also caused his World-ranking to fall from 84 to 267 in last one year but his golfing spirits are still on a high.

“I still believe that I have got 7-8 years of golf left in me and my aim is to play in the senior tour as well. Look at Tom Watson, the way he plays at this age is an inspiration for me,” he recently said in a media interview.

The Indian golfer who became the first player from India to join the European Tour in 1998, has so far, won four events on the European Tour making him the most successful Indian on tour. He was the highest ranked Indian golfer in the world and first one to break into the top 100 in October 2006, the low season is taking long to revive.

His best season came in April 2006, when he won the Volvo China Open, becoming the second Indian player to win on the European Tour after Arjun Atwal. He also won the season ending Volvo Masters, which elevated him to a final position of 16th on the Order of Merit. He finished 2006 as the winner of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and capped his season with a pair of back to back wins in Japan to become the first Indian to make the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

The very next year, in 2007 he became the first Indian golfer to participate in the Masters Tournament. In August 2008, Singh was the highest ranked Indian in any major event at the 2008 PGA Championship in Oakland Hills, finishing at T9, pronouncing him arguably India’s best golfer ever.

Singh finished the 2008 European Tour season ranked 12th on the Order of Merit, and after winning the Barclays Singapore Open won his second Order of Merit title on the Asian Tour.

In 2009, Singh finished the WGC-CA Championship in fourth place, after leading round one. The last one was in July 2012 in Europe.

Jeev is presently concentrating on Japan and Asian Tours to get his confidence back. He has to be in top 70 to retain Japan Tour Card for the next year.

Singh is well aware that he has to look at the positive side of it when he says,” I do realise that age is catching up with me. I have to maintain the balance.”

In a country where his name is synonymous with the sport of golf, the expectations are obvious.