Indian Golf's superstar: Jeev Milkha Singh

South of Sukhna Lake and adjacent to Punjab governor’s residence lies the picturesque Chandigarh Golf Course (CGC). The game of Golf was not a young man’s game some years back. But the CGC was home to a group of youngsters who enjoyed playing the game although they knew very little about it. Eventually, they picked up the nuances of the game from the senior members. The youngsters went on to become big names on the International circuit. One of the youngsters was Jeev Milkha Singh.

Jeev spent a lot of time on the course having fun with his peers Harmeet Kahlon, Amritinder Singh and Amandeep Johl. The boys were competitive, and this helped them in the longer run. All of them went on to become the first generation golfers who turned pro. Kahlon is an Arjuna award winner, Johl- a mechanical engineer – has played in more than 200 Asia tour events, while Amritinder and Jeev continue to be friends. Jeev was coached by Amritinder for some time.

Jeev became the Asian Tour’s first million dollar champion in 2008. That year, Jeev pocketed Barclay’s Singapore Open and won the second Order of Merit on the Asian tour. The general belief in the golfing arena is that Jeev never gives up. Ask Francesco Molinari. On 15th July, 2012, Jeev beat Molinari in a sudden playoff to win the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open – his fourth European tour title win. He overtook Arjun Atwal’s record of three victories in the European tours and became the most celebrated Indian golfer. Jeev has so far amassed close to Rs. 90 crore as a pro.

In December 2012, Jeev hosted the Shubhakamna Champions Golf event. He joined the league of all-time great golfers including the great Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods by hosting the event.

Jeev is eyeing a return to the top-50 rankings by April 2013. For this purpose, he is playing non-stop golf. Durban, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai were Jeev’s four back-to-back European tour events at the start of this year. Jeev will lead India in the Avantha Masters which will be played at the Jaypee Green Golf Course in Greater Noida from March 14-17. If Jeev breaks into the top-50, he can play Masters tournaments.

Jeev is keeping himself extremely fit. At 41, Jeev is just as passionate about the game as he was when he turned pro way back in 1993. He plays 35 tournaments a year. At the Singapore Open 2012, Jeev was nursing a finger injury. Jeev missed the $6 million event. He gets injured but endures his pain and carries on with his pursuit of bettering himself on the golf course. Looking at Jeev’s glorious career, it can be said that he has nothing to prove. But Jeev feels that before he hangs his boots, he needs to win a Major. And more specifically, the Masters.

Jeev has so far won 21 tournaments worldwide. He has received India’s fourth highest civil honour, the Padma Shri in 2007. Jeev’s trophy cabinet is huge but still has enough space for a Masters cup, which is Jeev’s ultimate dream.