Jeev looking for first win in his national Open

India 's Jeev Milkha Singh competes on home soil this week for the first time since his fabulous 2006 season in a tournament that is clearly missing from his remarkable resume, the Hero Honda Indian Open.

It has been five years since he last played in the event, which starts on Thursday at Delhi Golf Club, and still on the crest of wave following four victories last year he is well placed to win his national Open.

“I am very excited to be back and playing here again. I am back because it's my national Open and because of old ties with Hero Honda. I would love to have the national Open under my belt,” said Singh.

The Indian star also claimed the Asian Tour UBS Order of Merit title last year for the first time with record single season earnings of US$591,884.

“I haven't played in my national Open because of other commitments but I am glad to be finally playing in it again. A lot of changes have been made to the golf course that have made it much tougher,” added Singh.

So far this year Singh has not been able to play at the same level he performed last season but he has shown glimpses of his best particularly when he made the cut in the US Masters and US Open.

“This year has been no comparison with last year. I have been playing well but not up to what I expected. It has been very average really. The main problem has been my putting. I am making a lot of birdies but when I have been missing the green I have not been able to convert the putts for par. There have been too many bogeys,” said Singh.

He started last year by ending a frustrating seven-year winless drought with victory at the Volvo China Open. The Volvo win sparked a rich vein of form as he went on to win the Volvo Masters, the European Tour's season-ending event, in Spain in October and then back-to-back titles in Japan at the Casio World Open, his first triumph in Japan, and the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup.

A strong field has assembled at Delhi Golf Club including defending champion Jyoti Randhawa from India plus other former winners including Thailand 's Thaworn Wiratchant and Singapore 's Mardan Mamat.

“Jyoti is always very tough to beat around this course. He has a great record here but there are lots of other very good players here. Thaworn of course recently won his ninth title on the Asian Tour and there are lots of good young players coming through,” said Singh.

The 35-year-old from Chandigarh can expect a heroe's welcome when he tees off on Thursday in front of his many fans.

October 11, 2007