‘Nothing comes close to this’

With his win in the Scottish Open on Sunday, Jeev Milkha Singh not only surpassed compatriot Arjun Atwal with the most wins (four) on the European Tour, but also booked a berth in the British Open, starting later this week — which will be played at the Royal Lyntham and St Annes Golf Club in England. The Chandigarh-based golfer emerged triumphant at Iverness, Scotland, despite starting the final day on tied-16th. In the chat with Sportline, Singh, 40, talks about his greatest 15-foot birdie putt, his preparations for the Open and why he prefers to reside in London. Excerpts:

On Saturday night, lying so far away from the leaders, did you honestly give yourself a chance at the title? Secondly, what does this win mean?

Yes, I did give myself a chance. I backed myself. I had been playing well in the first three rounds in the recent tournaments and all I wanted to do was to play a good round of golf on Sunday. It's a great feeling to win in Scotland, the home of golf.

Out of all your European Tour wins, where would this one rank?

I have won four tournaments on the European Tour but nothing comes close to this win. With players like world number one Luke Donald playing, the win means a lot more than any of my other wins. It was played on a links course, so I had to constantly use my imagination all the time and hit low golf balls. The conditions were also a bit windy, but in the end, I managed to score one of the most important wins of my career.

What was going through your mind before you sank that 15-foot putt in the last hole? Having lost a playoff in the Ballantine's Championship in 2008 to Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, did you feel any extra pressure?

... contd.

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