No more lost in the woods

Jeev Milkha Singh has bounced back from a seven-year drought to claim his trophy.

Step aside the Dravids and the Sehwags and the Mirzas, India has a new sporting icon to look up to "" and no, he is not a cricket player, nor an overhyped tennis sensation. The newest of them all is a man who plys his trade with the woods.

If ever there was an award for Indian Sportsperson of the Year, Jeev Milkha Singh would have won it hands down. Look at the achievements of the golfer. He has won three titles on the Asian Tour, got into the top 50 golfers of the world and became eligible for direct entry into the US Masters, the most prestigious event on the golf circuit.

It has taken a lot of playing alone and against himself to reach where he now is. Not so long ago, Singh was languishing right there at the bottom and had to overcome a seven year drought that some him return winless from international events. But he has turned that corner "" emphatically so.

Singh rounded off a fantastic year by claiming the Asian Tour's Order of Merit title. "This year has been excellent. It's like a dream year. Winning the Order of Merit, it's just perfect for me," he reportedly told the media after walking off the green with the trophy.

"He is a fantastic pro who deserves each and every accolade he is getting at the moment," says Shiv Kapur, his compatriot and fellow golfer. But as it is with success, Singh has had to slog it out at every level.

He practices for over eight hours a day and doesn't take even Sundays off. His peers say that has tremendous concentration ability. "He is out on the greens even on Sunday honing his skills," marvels golfer Amiteshwar Singh. It's difficult to believe this is the same golfer who failed to muster even a single title for seven years after winning in Bangkok in 1999.

Maybe it was the serious wrist injury that was responsible for it "" even now Singh takes painkillers for it and wears a wrist band to ensure he doesn't aggravate it.

This year, he stormed back in style, also breaking the Asian Tour's record for earnings in a season. Singh earned $573,442, beating last year's mark of $510,123 set by Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant. Here he has had company Jyoti Randhawa before him (in 2002) and Arjun Atwal (in 2003) have got back the booty before Singh did.

It was on the European circuit that Singh did extremely well, finishing sixteenth in the order of merit and winning $1.5 million dollars in the bargain. During the course of a phenomenal year, he has risen from a lowly rank of 376, up 326 places, to become the first Indian to be in the top 50 golfers of the world. Look at these stats and you'll wonder why Sania Mirza's slide in rankings makes big news, while his barely merit mention!

Everyone knows his sporting antecedents. His father was the Flying Sikh (Milkha Singh) who did the country proud in atheltics. But how many know that his mother Nirmal Kaur was the former captain of the Indian volleyball team?

Shiv Kapur, who has played with him on a number of occasions, says he is a great role model for fellow pros and those who want to take up golf. "I hope his achievements inspire youngsters to be the next Jeev Milkha Singh rather the next Rahul Dravid," he says caustically.

Even the world number one golfer Tiger Woods has words of praise for Singh. "I've met Jeev a few times. What he did at Valderamma (one of the toughest circuits on the world), and obviously with what he's doing in Asia, he's having a great year. I think it's just a matter of confidence," Woods said.

"He's playing a lot of golf and he's starting to turn the corner. It's good to see him. I know about him quite a bit and he's such a great guy," Woods added. Singh was paired with Woods at the Sheshan golf tournament and managed to outscore Woods in the opening round.

Take a bow, Jeev Milkha Singh!