Name of the sportsperson: Jeev Milkha Singh
Date Of Birth: 15 December 1971
Discipline: Golf
State: Punjab
Achievement:
• 1995 (2) Philippine Classic, Asian Matchplay Championship
• 1996 (1) Philip Morris Asia Cup
• 1999 (1) Lexus International
• 2006 (1) Volvo China Open (co-sanctioned with the European Tour)
• 2008 (1) Barclays Singapore Open
• 2006 Casio World Open
• 2006 Volvo China open
• 2007 Padma Shree Award
• Arjuna Award in 2002
Profile:
Jeev Milkha Singh was born in Chandigarh, India, in a Sikh Rajput family to Indian Olympic athlete Milkha Singh and Nirmal Kaur, former captain of the Indian women''s volleyball team. He lives in Chandigarh.
Jeev attended Abilene Christian University in the United States of America, obtaining a degree in business and international studies in 1996. He won the NCAA Division II individual golf championship 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 came up in 2006, 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 European Tour 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, Jeev 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.
Jeev 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.
Jeev received India''s fourth highest civil honour the Padma Shri in 2007.
