HOKKAIDO/ NEW DELHI: : A sensational final round of six-under 66 fetched Jeev Milkha Singh his second title of the season - third on Japan Tour - at the Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup here on Sunday.
Overnight fourth, Jeev produced his best card of the week to aggregate 13-under 275, equalling the tournament record set by Lin Keng-chi, to clinch the silverware ahead of Sushi Ishigaki (72) who finished two shots behind.
This is Jeev’s second title of the season, following his Bank Austria Open triumph in Vienna.
Jeev’s two previous triumphs on Japan Tour came in 2006 when he won back-to-back titles in Casio World Open and Golf Nippon Series JT Cup.
Jeev, unarguably the best Indian golfer, has had a career full of so many firsts that he can be called the Christopher Columbus of the Indian golf. He has been the first to venture out internationally and embark on what has turned out be an immensely successful career.
Korean K.J. Choi apart, few other golfers have had the kind of success on international tours as Jeev. While Choi has multiple wins on the US Tour, Jeev has done that on Asian, European and Japan Tours.
Needing something special to have a shot at the title, Jeev responded with a near-perfect round which had the lone blemish on the 12th hole where he dropped a bogey.
But that was just an aberration as the Indian sunk as many as seven birdies - three over his last four holes - for the sensational win.
Jeev said he was happy to have rallied from behind to win the title. “My ankle is not in the best of shapes and so I’m pretty happy with the way I conducted myself. I was particularly pleased with the 18th hole birdie, where I sank a 20-footer,” he said.
“Win does not come everyday you know and that’s why I’m happy. This is my second title of the year, besides a few top 10 finishes and I guess I cannot complain. I had a memorable year in 2006 and I hope I can do even better this year,” he said.
Asked what brings him back to Japan, Jeev said, “This is a fantastic tour and I think they have the best putting surface in the world. I play 4-5 tournaments here annually. Everything about Japan Tour is so fantastic.”
