Jeev Milkha Singh wins Sri Lankan tournament: ‘It feels special to win in Colombo, where my parents met & fell in love’

“It feels special to win in Colombo, the city where my parents met and fell in love. My father had come to the country to compete in a tournament while my mother was captaining the Indian volleyball team for a tournament here in Colombo. They met at a market and the following days would see them fall in love. So this win is special. When I lost both of them to Covid in 2021, it was a hard time for the whole Milkha family. I had literally decided to give up the sport before I decided to play again for them. They were the ones who put me in golf and also introduced my son Harjai Milkha Singh to golf. I dedicate this title to them,” said an emotional Jeev while speaking with The Indian Express.

Jeev, who remains one of India’s most successful golfers having 20 interntional wins and having once reached a career high world ranking of 28, won the title edging out Aryan Roopa Anand by one shot. Jeev carded a third round score of six-under-65 to finish with an overall score of 15-under to win the title at RCGC, one of the oldest golf courses in Asia established in 1869 apart from the Royal Calcutta Golf Course at Kolkata. Jeev, who had signed with the IGPL earlier this year, won his first professional title internationally after 2012, when he had won the Scottish Open. Singh was also playing for the first time in an international tournament at Colombo and talked about the tricky situations at the Colombo course.

“The conditions were a bit windy here and while the course was in a fine condition, the challenge was to tackle the course. The key here is managing the distance as well as the course. The greens too were playing fast with the stimpmeter reading 9.7 to 9.8. The key to such an old course is proper course management. At the age of 54, I know I cannot drive the ball as most of the youngsters do these days close to 300-315 yards but then playing with accuracy with consistency helped me here. Playing among youngsters in this format also pushed me to do well,” said Singh.

Singh has been playing on the Legends Tour, the Senior European Tour since 2022. The 20-time professional golfer had finished at the second spot in the MCD Mauritius Legends with an overall score of 17 under earlier this month and is looking towards maintaining a balance between the Legends Tour and the IGPL as well as next year’s IGPL League.

“Following the break after my parents’ death, I had to work on my fitness as well to be in good mental condition. Doing regular yoga and gym sessions as well as training at Chandigarh Golf Club helped me to be in shape for the Legends Tour. I came close to winning the title at Mauritius and it means that I am in fine form,” said Jeev.

With the IGPL launching its league and the Professional Golf Tour of India first banning some of the professional players before the players went to court to get a stay, Jeev sees both the leagues as good for players. “I would say only one thing. Competition is good for players and if the players are gaining from playing on two-three tours, I guess that’s the key. Regarding IGPL, junior players and amateurs are getting to play along with professional players and it benefits the players. Every tour is built on the players and if the players can win and earn prize money, it’s good for the overall development of golf,” said Singh.