Ace Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh said he was immensely proud on being named as one of five golfers nominated for Asian Tour’s ‘Player of the Decade’ award.
The 42-year-old Indian, a two-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion and a winner of six tournaments, was named alongside Korea’s K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang and the Thai duo of Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant as the five players nominated for the prestigious award.
The winner will be revealed on April 22 at Asian Tour’s Award Night in Jakarta.
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Jeev is also one of the few Asian Tour graduates to have won on the European and Japan Golf Tour, and has played in each of the four Majors several times.
Jeev, who is currently recuperating from a shoulder injury and returns to competitive golf at next month’s Maybank Malaysian Open, said: “For someone who grew up with the Asian Tour, this indeed is a tremendous honour. Just to be named alongside these four great players fills me with an immense sense of pride.
“I have great memories of my association with the Asian Tour, and it is hard to believe that it is 10 years since the Asian Tour was established.
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“I want to thank the Asian Tour and all its very friendly officials, the fans, my fellow players, sponsors and the media for all these years of happiness. Obviously, I will continue to support the Asian Tour and will be playing as many events as my schedule permits.”
And while he is in the reckoning, Jeev seems to have no doubt who should win the award.
“If I have to vote, I will give it to Y.E. Yang. I know it is a tough decision to make when you have players like K.J., Thongchai and Thaworn, who have all been great players and great ambassadors for Asian Tour, but Yang, having won a Major championship, is still a league apart,” said Jeev.
“To be honest, a professional golfer’s career is always judged by how well he played in the Majors, or how many he has won. Of us five nominated players, only Yang can boast of achieving that,” he added.
On his own plans for the season, Jeev said: “I was quite happy with the way I played in the Desert Swing of the European Tour at the start of the season, but I have a slight shoulder niggle that has been bothering me.
It is much better after the long break I’ve had, so I am hoping it has settled down. Starting the Malaysian Open, I have a very busy stretch ahead of me. I want to be physically fit to handle that.
“The one good thing of not playing for so many weeks is that I am really hungry to go out on the golf course.”