Augusta (Georgia), April 8 (Inditop) Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh could not have had a better preparation in the run-up to his third appearance at the Masters. The Asian Tour No. 1 has been paired with Tiger Woods for the first two rounds for the tournament starting Thursday.
Jeev, who has made the cut at the both his previous appearances at the Masters has already played practice rounds with two-time British Open champion, Padraig Harrington and Australian legend Greg Norman, besides meeting another legend Arnold Palmer at the Augusta National Golf Club.
“I’m excited about that and looking forward to it. It’ll be great to have the opportunity to play with Tiger and it’ll be interesting. I’ll be a little nervous but I’ll try to make the most of it and enjoy it. It is a pleasant surprise,” said Jeev, who has in the past played with Tiger, but in Asia.
The 37-year-old Jeev, who was fourth at the WGC-PGA Championships at Doral last month and tied ninth at the PGA Championship last year, where Harrington won, believes he has the game to win a Major. No Asian has won a Major and Jeev strongly believes he can break that run.
“It’s great to come back to the Masters. Every time you are here, it’s different. I’m excited and it’s something really special. I’m happy with the game. I’m playing well and we’ll see what happens,” said the world No.31.
“My next goal will be to win a major. I think I’ve got the game to win a Major. I feel it all depends on the mindset and how you deal with the pressure. A lot of it comes down to the short game. I feel I do have the game and hopefully before my golfing career is over, I will have a Major under my belt.
“The top-10 at the PGA Championship and the fourth in Doral, those results have given me more confidence. I’ll slowly work on finishing better than fourth. One day, you’ll never know what will happen.”
Jeev’s international wins include six on Asian Tour, four in Japan and two in Europe.
The Asian challenge will include Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng who competes in his second Masters Tournament this week. Last year Prayad was forced to withdraw from the second round with injury.
rounak