In the 25th year of his professional career, seasoned Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh says he feels good enough to continue for another decade at least.
Jeev, who will play a tournament in his home city Chandigarh after more than six years, said he is in no mood to quit a sport which has taught him a lot in his life.
“I have been a professional for the last 25 years, this is my 25th year, I turned pro in July 1993. I want to keep playing for another 10 years,” the 45—year—old Jeev, son of legendary athlete Milkha Singh, told PTI here.
Jeev is taking part in the second edition of 'Take Open’ golf championship, which will be played here from October 12—15.
Jyoti Randhawa and other leading Indian players, including Rashid Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Shubhankar Sharma, Khalin Joshi and Chiragh Kumar, will also vie for the prize money of Rs one crore on offer.
“I think you should never forget where you started off, especially in a sport like golf - it’s a game which teaches you to be humble; one week you are the best and next week you are nobody,” the ace golfer, who has won 14 titles at the international level, said.
“Playing golf here during my early days gave me an opportunity to follow my dream - my dream was to do well at the world stage and I have done that and I am hopefully going to do that more,” he said.
When asked to reflect on his journey so far, Jeev said, “I think I am a very fortunate human being, I have made a living out of what I love doing, I don’t think many people do that. This game has given me a lot.
“You have times when you don’t like it, but that is part of life. Everything can't be good all the time."
Asked to share some of his best memories, Jeev said, “As professional athletes, we relate to good moments - the Scottish Open in 2012, Volvo Masters in 2006, Singapore Open 2008 - those were quite a few big tournaments. Those kinds of memories always stay with you.”
Jeev also expressed happiness at the way Indian golf has grown over the past few years.
“I think golf has really grown in the country over the past few years for the better. PGTI has produced a lot of good players, we have got an amazing domestic circuit, which is the PGTI. The youngsters are hungry, they have a lot of knowledge now, they want to play on the big stage."
Praising India's new sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Jeev said, “We have got a good sports minister in place, he understands things and I think he is going to streamline everything for every sport in our country.
“He will have the right people in place to ensure right guidance is given to the players and to develop the game“.
Jeev said he would take the next week off to be with his family for Diwali.
“After that, I am going to play the Indonesian Open, then I will play Panasonic Delhi, after that Resorts World Masters at the Philippines, then I take a week off to play in the Hong Kong Open, Mauritius Open, Thailand and Indonesian Masters. The schedule is packed,” he said.
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