Jeev Milkha Singh
Encyclopedia
Jeev Milkha Singh is the first India
n professional golfer
to become a member of the European Tour. He is the highest ranked
Indian golfer in the world and first broke into the top 100 in October 2006.
Rajput
family to Indian Olympic athlete Milkha Singh
and Nirmal Kaur, former captain of the Indian women's volleyball team. He lives in Chandigarh.
Singh attended Abilene Christian University
in the United States, obtaining a degree in business and international studies
in 1996.
in 1993. He also won a number of amateur tournaments in the U.S. His first professional win came at the 1993 Southern Oklahoma State Open, a minor local event, but he played mainly in Asia, where he was a regular winner in the mid-1990s. In 1997 he finished seventh at the European Tour qualifying school
, and he joined the tour the following year.
His best season in Europe up until 2006 was in 1999, when he came 50th on the Order of Merit. He struggled with injury in the early years of the new century but in April 2006 he won the Volvo China Open
, becoming the second Indian player to win on the European Tour after Arjun Atwal
. He also won the season ending Volvo Masters
, which elevated him to a final position of 16th on the Order of Merit. He finished 2006 as the winner of the Asian Tour
Order of Merit and capped his season with a pair of back to back wins in Japan to become the first Indian to make the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings
. In 2007 he became the first Indian golfer to participate in the Masters Tournament. In August 2008, Singh achieved the highest ranking for an Indian in any major event at the 2008 PGA Championship
in Oakland Hills, finishing at T9, making him arguably India's best golfer ever.
Singh finished the 2008 European Tour season ranked 12th on the Order of Merit, and after winning the Barclays Singapore Open won his second Order of Merit title on the Asian Tour.
In 2009, Singh finished the WGC-CA Championship
in fourth place, after leading round one.
Singh played on the Nationwide Tour
in 2003. He played on the PGA Tour
from 2007 to 2010, where his best finish was 4th place at the 2009 WGC-CA Championship
.
Singh received India's fourth highest civil honour the Padma Shri
in 2007.
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top 10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
1 Not a full Tour member in these years
Professional
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
to become a member of the European Tour. He is the highest ranked
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
Indian golfer in the world and first broke into the top 100 in October 2006.
Early life
Singh was born in Chandigarh, India, in a SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
family to Indian Olympic athlete Milkha Singh
Milkha Singh
Milkha Singh is an Indian athlete, who represented India in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo...
and Nirmal Kaur, former captain of the Indian women's volleyball team. He lives in Chandigarh.
Singh attended Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...
in the United States, obtaining a degree in business and international studies
International studies
International Studies generally refers to the specific University Degrees and courses which are concerned with the study of ‘the major political, economic, social, cultural and sacral issues that dominate the international agenda’...
in 1996.
Career
Singh won the NCAA Division II individual golf championshipNCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships
The NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships, played in late May, is an annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. It is a stroke play team competition, but there is also an award for the lowest scoring individual competitor. Many of the individual champions have gone on to successful...
in 1993. He also won a number of amateur tournaments in the U.S. His first professional win came at the 1993 Southern Oklahoma State Open, a minor local event, but he played mainly in Asia, where he was a regular winner in the mid-1990s. In 1997 he finished seventh at the European Tour qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
, and he joined the tour the following year.
His best season in Europe up until 2006 was in 1999, when he came 50th on the Order of Merit. He struggled with injury in the early years of the new century but in April 2006 he won the Volvo China Open
Volvo China Open
The Volvo China Open is a men's golf tournament that has been held annually in China since 1995. The event is organised by the China Golf Association and has been co-sanctioned by the European Tour since 2003....
, becoming the second Indian player to win on the European Tour after Arjun Atwal
Arjun Atwal
Arjun Singh Atwal is an Indian professional golfer who has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour and is the first player born in India to become a member of, and later win on the U.S.-based PGA Tour.-Early life:...
. He also won the season ending Volvo Masters
Volvo Masters
The Volvo Masters was the concluding official money event of the European Tour season until 2009, when it was replaced by the Dubai World Championship...
, which elevated him to a final position of 16th on the Order of Merit. He finished 2006 as the winner of the Asian Tour
Asian Tour
The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...
Order of Merit and capped his season with a pair of back to back wins in Japan to become the first Indian to make the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
. In 2007 he became the first Indian golfer to participate in the Masters Tournament. In August 2008, Singh achieved the highest ranking for an Indian in any major event at the 2008 PGA Championship
2008 PGA Championship
The 2008 PGA Championship was the 90th PGA Championship played from August 7 through August 10 at the South Course of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, with a purse of $7.5 million. It was the first major championship contested at Oakland Hills in twelve years, since the...
in Oakland Hills, finishing at T9, making him arguably India's best golfer ever.
Singh finished the 2008 European Tour season ranked 12th on the Order of Merit, and after winning the Barclays Singapore Open won his second Order of Merit title on the Asian Tour.
In 2009, Singh finished the WGC-CA Championship
WGC-CA Championship
The WGC-Cadillac Championship is one of the four annual World Golf Championships tournaments for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
in fourth place, after leading round one.
Singh played on the Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
in 2003. He played on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
from 2007 to 2010, where his best finish was 4th place at the 2009 WGC-CA Championship
2009 WGC-CA Championship
The 2009 WGC-CA Championship was a golf tournament that was contested from March 12–15 at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Doral, Florida. It was the tenth WGC-CA Championship tournament, and the second of four World Golf Championships events staged in 2009....
.
Singh received India's fourth highest civil honour the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 2007.
Amateur wins (1)
- NCAA Division II Golf ChampionshipNCAA Division II Men's Golf ChampionshipsThe NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships, played in late May, is an annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. It is a stroke play team competition, but there is also an award for the lowest scoring individual competitor. Many of the individual champions have gone on to successful...
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 Apr 2006 2006 European Tour The 2006 European Tour was the 35th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2006 season consisted of 47 official money events, equalling the record set the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the... |
Volvo China Open Volvo China Open The Volvo China Open is a men's golf tournament that has been held annually in China since 1995. The event is organised by the China Golf Association and has been co-sanctioned by the European Tour since 2003.... |
1 stroke |  Gonzalo Fernández-CastañoGonzalo Fernández-Castaño Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño is a Spanish professional golfer.Fernández-Castaño was born in Madrid. He turned professional in 2004 and came eighth at that year's European Tour Qualifying School.... |
|
| 2 | 29 Oct 2006 2006 European Tour The 2006 European Tour was the 35th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2006 season consisted of 47 official money events, equalling the record set the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the... |
Volvo Masters Volvo Masters The Volvo Masters was the concluding official money event of the European Tour season until 2009, when it was replaced by the Dubai World Championship... |
1 stroke |  Luke DonaldLuke Donald Luke Campbell Donald is an English professional golfer who is the current World Number One. He plays mainly on the U.S. based PGA Tour but is also a member of the European Tour. In 2006 he reached the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career. In January 2007, he... , Sergio GarcíaSergio García Sergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings... ,  Pádraig HarringtonPadraig Harrington Pádraig P. Harrington is an Irish professional golfer who plays on The European Tour and The PGA Tour. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, also in 2008.-Background:... |
|
| 3 | 8 Jun 2008 2008 European Tour The 2008 European Tour was the 37th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2008 season consisted of 50 official money events, a drop of two from the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the PGA... |
Bank Austria GolfOpen | 1 stroke | Simon Wakefield Simon Wakefield Simon Wakefield is an English professional golfer.Wakefield was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire and is the nephew of former England cricketer Bob Taylor... |
Asian Tour wins (6)
- 1995 (2) Philippine Classic, Asian Matchplay Championship
- 1996 (1) Philip Morris Asia Cup
- 1999 (1) Lexus International
- 2006 (1) Volvo China OpenVolvo China OpenThe Volvo China Open is a men's golf tournament that has been held annually in China since 1995. The event is organised by the China Golf Association and has been co-sanctioned by the European Tour since 2003....
(co-sanctioned with the European Tour) - 2008 (1) Barclays Singapore Open
Japan Golf Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 Nov 2006 | Casio World Open Casio World Open The is an annual event on the Japan Golf Tour. It is played in November and attracts some of the leading international golfers. It was founded in 1981... |
2 strokes |  David SmailDavid Smail (golfer) David Smail is a professional golfer from New Zealand.He was born in and resides in Hamilton, New Zealand. He won the New Zealand Open in 2001. He has won five titles on the Japan Golf Tour and has featured in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings... |
|
| 2 | 3 Dec 2006 | Golf Nippon Series JT Cup Golf Nippon Series JT Cup The is an annual event on the Japan Golf Tour. It has been played since 1963. It has been played since at least 1985 at the Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club. The purse for the 2011 event was ¥130,000,000, with ¥40,000,000 going to the winner. It has recently been one of the last events of the season... |
1 stroke |  Nobuhiro MasudaNobuhiro Masuda Nobuhiro Masuda is a Japanese professional golfer.Masuda plays on the Japan Golf Tour, where he has won once.-External links:... |
|
| 3 | 27 Jul 2008 2008 Japan Golf Tour The 2008 Japan Golf Tour season was played from April 17 to December 7. The season consisted of 24 official money events in Japan, one in China, as well as the four majors and the three World Golf Championships.-Tournament results:... |
Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup The is a golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. It has been played annually at The North Country Golf Club near Chitose, Hokkaido since 2005.The tournament record is -16 . It was set by Hiroyuki Fujita in 2009.... |
2 strokes | Sushi Ishigaki |
|
| 4 | 7 Dec 2008 2008 Japan Golf Tour The 2008 Japan Golf Tour season was played from April 17 to December 7. The season consisted of 24 official money events in Japan, one in China, as well as the four majors and the three World Golf Championships.-Tournament results:... |
Golf Nippon Series JT Cup Golf Nippon Series JT Cup The is an annual event on the Japan Golf Tour. It has been played since 1963. It has been played since at least 1985 at the Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club. The purse for the 2011 event was ¥130,000,000, with ¥40,000,000 going to the winner. It has recently been one of the last events of the season... |
2 strokes |  Brendan Jones, David SmailDavid Smail (golfer) David Smail is a professional golfer from New Zealand.He was born in and resides in Hamilton, New Zealand. He won the New Zealand Open in 2001. He has won five titles on the Japan Golf Tour and has featured in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings... , Taichi TeshimaTaichi Teshima Taichi Teshima is a Japanese professional golfer.Teshima was born in Fukuoka. He has won six tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour, and featured in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings... |
Other wins (7)
- 1993 (2) Southern Oklahoma State Open, Bukit Kaira Golf Championship (Malaysia)
- 1994 (2) Shinhan Donghae Open (South Korea – not an Asian Tour event), Northern Indian Open
- 1995 (3) Thailand PGA Championship, Mahindra BPGC Open (India), Toyota Crown Open (Thailand)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T37 | T25 | CUT |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
T62 | DNP | DNP | DNP | T59 | T36 | DNP | CUT |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T9 | T67 |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Results in World Golf Championship events
| Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year... |
R64 | DNP | R64 | R16 | DNP |
| Cadillac Championship | T28 | T26 | 4 | DNP | DNP |
| Bridgestone Invitational WGC-Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour... |
T51 | DNP | T64 | DNP | DNP |
| HSBC Champions | – | – | T33 | DNP | T23 |
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top 10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
European Tour professional career summary
| Year | Starts | Cuts Made | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10 | Top 25 | Earnings (€) | Money list rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a1 |
| 1995 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,200 | n/a1 |
| 1996 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,944 | n/a1 |
| 1997 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8,689 | n/a1 |
| 1998 | 22 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 83,823 | 104 |
| 1999 | 24 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 222,783 | 50 |
| 2000 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 68,199 | 145 |
| 2001 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 174,011 | 108 |
| 2002 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 83,347 | 152 |
| 2003 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,773 | n/a1 |
| 2004 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28,817 | n/a1 |
| 2005 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 42,845 | n/a1 |
| 2006 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1,173,177 | 16 |
| 2007 | 31 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 717,910 | 46 |
| 2008 | 24 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 1,170,109 | 10 |
| 2009 | 22 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 847,844 | 34 |
| 2010 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 393,449 | 74 |
| Total | 223 | 145 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 72 | 4,465,997 |
1 Not a full Tour member in these years
Team appearances
Amateur- Eisenhower TrophyEisenhower TrophyThe Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
(representing India): 1988, 1992
Professional
- Alfred Dunhill CupAlfred Dunhill CupThe Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000. It was for three man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championship". It was a "special approved event" on the European Tour, which means that it was...
(representing India): 1996, 1999 - Dynasty Cup (representing Rest of Asia): 2003 (winners)
- Royal TrophyRoyal TrophyThe Royal Trophy is a men's professional team golf tournament which was played for the first time in January 2006 at the Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand. The competing teams represent Europe and Asia. Eight man teams play a series of 16 matches involving foursomes, four-ball and...
(representing Asia): 20072007 Royal TrophyThe 2007 Royal Trophy was the second edition of The Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It was held from 12–14 January at the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand...
, 20102010 Royal TrophyThe 2010 Royal Trophy was the fourth edition of The Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It was held from 8–10 January at the Amata Spring Country Club in Thailand...
, 20112011 Royal TrophyThe 2011 Royal Trophy was the fifth edition of the Royal Trophy, a team golf event contested between teams representing Asia and Europe. It is being held from 7–9 January at the Black Mountain Golf Club in Thailand... - World Cup (representing India): 20082008 Omega Mission Hills World CupThe 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 27 to November 30 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 54th World Cup. 28 countries competed and each country sent two players. The team purse was $5,000,000 with $1,600,000 going to the winner. The Swedish team of...
, 20092009 Omega Mission Hills World CupThe 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 26 to November 29 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 55th World Cup. 28 countries competed as two player teams...