Jeev Milkha Singh - a man for all seasons

The remarkable Jeev Milkha Singh proved himself to be the Asian Tour’s man of all seasons in 2006.

Singh won the UBS Order of Merit with all-time high winnings of US$591,884 from just 14 events. He had six top-10 finishes including a season-shaping victory in the Volvo China Open at Beijing Honghua International Golf Club in April.

That triumph set the tone for an amazing year which built to a climax with three wins in a six-week stretch during which Singh was the hottest player on planet golf.

The 35-year-old Indian stunned some of the top players in the world with a breathtaking victory at the European Tour’s season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama in late October.
His next milestone came at the UBS Hong Kong Open where his joint third place finish put him in an unassailable position at the top of the moneylist.

There were more horizons to conquer for the indefatigable Singh. The very next week he won his first tournament on the Japan Tour, the Casio World Open, and then followed through with a victory in the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup.

Those successes elevated him to second in the Japan Tour Order of Merit to underline that in 2006, when the iron man played 40 tournaments in 12 countries during a golf odyssey that has won him the respect of his peers, he was indeed a world player with few equals.

And to the victor the spoils, with Singh’s remarkable rise from a lowly 319th in the world rankings back in April to an astonishing 37th at year’s end earning him entry into all next year’s Majors.

Such is Singh’s confidence in his game after a long period where he struggled with injuries that he is looking to go where no Asian has gone before and win one of those Majors.

That ambition was not even on the radar in January 2006 when he set out his goals for the year.

“I was just planning to go out there and follow my normal routine and I told myself to try and do the best I possibly could,” said Singh, who endured a seven-year winless drought following his triumph at the 1999 Lexus International in Thailand.

“I had thoughts of winning one event but it has been so much better than that. It has been a dream year.

“I have played the best golf of my life so far and I hope in the coming years I keep it going. To repeat this year would take a lot of hard work and a lot of good luck.

“I will hopefully get into all the Majors and the World Golf Championships events next year (2007). I hope to play 15 to 20 events on the US Tour. I would like to win one tournament on the US Tour and be in a comfortable position the following year, 2008, and go for a Major then.”

Singh is the son of an Olympic sprinter but he has proved himself a marathon man in his career, particularly in 2006 when he racked up hundreds of thousands of air miles in the search for golf’s Holy Grail.

“I just love playing golf. I want to be playing tournament golf every day,” said Singh. “I love pressure - if I can go out there and play week in and week out I will, I just love it. It obviously tires me out some weeks with all the travelling but yoga has really helped me keep everything balanced. I do a lot of mental and physical training.”

Singh said that he was grateful for some sage advice his father gave him when he turned professional.

“My dad said that you have to be disciplined, honest and hard working to make it in any sport,” said Singh.

Those three traits were key during a season when Singh finally fulfilled the promise he showed way back in 1995 when he won the Philippine Classic and finished third on the Order of Merit.

“The Asian Tour is like family to me,” said Singh. “This is where it all began for me and I will always be part of this Tour.”

December 29, 2006

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