Sentosa: India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, a former two-time Asian Tour number one, finally reaped the rewards of his hard work and determination when he posted a tied-seventh finish at the True Thailand Classic presented by Chang on Sunday.

While it may not be a return to the winner’s circle again, the 44-year-old Indian found the form and self-belief that saw him enjoy his first top-10 in three years.

“In this game, the most important thing is trust. It’s been great to come back to this position. I’ve been working hard. I thought I found it at the Maybank Championship Malaysia but it’s taken a few weeks.

“At last it’s here. I’m happy with how it’s ended here, 11-under-par in windy conditions. It’s my first top-10 of the year and a lot more to come,” said Singh.

Golf, as Singh knows, throws up many challenges.

Despite being one of Asia’s most decorated and global players, winning six times on the Asian Tour and multiple times in Japan and Europe, Singh too had his fair share of disappointments and struggles.

His last victory dated back to 2014 at the Scottish Open and it was always a constant battle to remind himself that he is still capable of getting back to where he belongs.

“You just have to keep your chin up and try every single day. I kept doing that. The last few weeks, I wasn’t doing good and I said “hey, I can’t let myself go down again like that and I just gave it a go and it worked out well,” said Singh.

Much will be expected of Singh when he returns home to play in front of a passionate crowd at this week’s Hero Indian Open.

With his return to form at the seaside town of Hua Hin last week, Singh, who also captained Team Asia at the recent EurAsia Cup, will arguably be one of most keenly watched contenders on home soil at the Delhi Golf Club.

“The game has been there and I putted really well this week, that’s why I shot the numbers I had.

“After the first round, I found something in my putting and I rolled it beautifully the last three days,” said the Indian.