Jeev Milkha Singh Profile

Jeev Milkha Singh is one name that has surely created ripples in the Indian golf. A young golf star of recent times, Singh has stunned every one in the world with his outclass talent and brilliant performances. Coming from a family that has legendary sports personalities, Singh was surely destined to make a mark in the Indian sports arena. He is the highest ranked Indian golfer in the world. Singh first broke into the top 100 in October 2006, and since then, there has been no looking back for this precocious golf prodigy. With the goal to be amongst the world's greatest golfers, Singh surely has a done India proud with his numerous achievements and awards. To know more about the early life, career, awards and honors of this outstanding golfer, browse through the following lines.

Early Life & Introduction To Golf
Jeev Milkha Singh was born on December 15, 1971 in Chandigarh, India. He is the son of the famous Indian Olympic athlete, Milkha Singh and Nirmal Kaur, the former captain of Indian women's volleyball team. After winning his first amateur tournament, American Express Championship in Delhi, at the age of 13, Singh honed his golfing skills. He attended the Abilene Christian University, in the United States of America, from where Singh obtained a degree in business and international studies in 1996. It was during his years at US that Singh involved himself more in the game. In the early 1990s, he bagged a number of amateur tournaments in US. Singh won the NCAA Division II individual golf championship in 1993.

Career
In 1993, Singh first got a taste of professional success at a minor local event called, the Southern Oklahoma State Open. However, he mainly played in Asia, where he was a regular winner in the mid 1990s. Singh has been a regular in the Asian PGA Tour, since the mid 1990s and has bagged a number of major competitions. In 1997, he finished seventh at the European Tour qualifying school, and he joined the tour the following year. Year 1999 marked as an imperative year for this talented player in his career graph, as Singh bagged the 50th rank on the Order of Merit in Europe.

After a brief period of lull in the beginning of the new century due to injuries, Singh returned with force in 2006 in the Volvo China Open and created history. Apart from becoming the second Indian player to win on the European Tour after Arjun Atwal, Singh also won the season ending Volvo Masters. The latter victory elevated him to a final position of 16th on the Order of Merit. As if this was not enough, he outclassed himself and completed as the winner of the Asian Tour Order of Merit. With a pair of back to back wins in Japan, in the same year, he became the first Indian to make to the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.

Pinnacle of Success
In 2007, Singh achieved yet another milestone in his life, as he became the first Indian golfer to participate in the Masters Tournament. Singh represented Indian Golf in Alfred Dunhill Cup and also represented Asia in 2007 Royal Trophy. In the same year, he was honored with the prestigious Padma Shri Award (one of the highest civilian award) from the Indian Government, for his contribution to sports. The spark to be the best was prevalent in the eyes of Singh, as he fulfilled his wish in style, in the subsequent year.

In the August of 2008, Singh talent and hard work reflected on his performance, as he claimed victories in the Bank Austria Golf Open, Sega Sammy Cup and Barclays Singapore Open, where he edged out Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington for the title. Singh finished the 2008 European Tour season, positioning himself as the 12th on the Order of Merit. Apart from this, he also won his second Order of Merit title on the Asian Tour, after gaining victory against Barclays Singapore Open.

Finally, the Golf JT Series Nippon Cup in Japan was also credited to this star golfer. At the 2008 PGA Championship in Oakland Hills, Singh finished at T9 making him India's best golfer ever. He honored with the prestigious Padma Shri Award. In 2009, Singh finished the WGC-CA Championship in fourth place, after leading round one. Year 2007 to 2009 marked as a golden period for this talented player, as Jeev Milkha Singh shot a high with his European ranking reaching to 48 and won the Asian Tour Players' Player of the Year Award, realizing a career high of 36th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Awards & Honors