I am not disappointed: Jeev

On Sunday morning just before his first tee, Jeev Milkha Singh was hoping he would fend off the challenge posed by the torrid weather conditions at The London Club, Kent. After three satisfying rounds of quality putting that saw him in joint lead, he prayed for a similar show in the final round.

But that wasn’t the case. His worst was saved till the last and a card of four-over 76 meant he finished tied fifth. “It’s a little disappointing,” he told DNA from London. “My putting wasn’t up to the mark. I tried hard, but it just wasn’t my day. The conditions were bad. Even others didn’t have a great day.”

The Chandigarh-based golfer shot rounds of 67, 69, 71 but the frustrating 76 on the final day meant the previous three rounds counted for nothing. But still he manages to keep up his spirit. “I did very little wrong. Sometimes, things don’t turn out the way you want them to be but I have no complaints. It’s been a really good weekend for me,” he said.

This was his second best finish of the year, after the fourth-place at Doral in the CA Championship. These have been the only saving graces for Jeev, who has otherwise had an average season till date. But he feels his top-5 finish will propel him to do even better at the Celtic Manor Open that begins on Thursday (June 4) at Wales and the US Open, which begins on June 18. “The conditions at Wales are expected to be similar with lot of winds. The roughs there are also quite like those at the US Open. So that should be the ideal preparation for me,” he said.

Content with his performance over the weekend, Jeev feels he has hit form at the right time. “This was the first time this year that I was in contention for the title, so that’s a big positive. This is a big boost for me going into the two big tournaments over the next few weeks,” he said.

Next in his roster:

Celtic Manor Open, Wales - June 4
US Open tournament (Major) - June 18