Published July 17, 2008 on November 1, 2018

The Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational Gets Underway this Week

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Jeev Milkha Singh, one of India’s greatest golf ambassador’s is being recognised for his achievement in the sport by having a tournament named after him. This opportunity is being given to him by the Professional Golf Tour if India (PGTI) to host the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational by TAKE Solutions at the Chandigarh Golf Club this week.

Since he joining the paid ranks 25 years ago, Singh’s career had been on an upward trend. He won two Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns, has had 14 Major championship appearances and 20 professional wins.

“This will be the first time in India that this is happening in my hometown and staged at my home course. I owe a lot to both these places and I want to get players from all over India coming to compete in what I believe is one of the best cities in the world,” said Singh.

Following in the footsteps of golfing legends he looked up to, including Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, who have hosted the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour respectively, the 46-year-old Singh will become the first player in the history of Indian golf to play host this week.

“I have played in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament and have always thought it was the greatest recognition for players to have events named after them. I never thought I would have the same honour one day and I am truly humbled,” said Singh.

Only a few Asian Tour greats have assumed the responsibility of tournament host, including Korea’s KJ Choi with the CJ Invitational, Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit with the Boonchu Ruangkit Championship and countrymen Thongchai Jaidee with the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation.

Most recently, reigning Asian Tour number one Gavin Green of Malaysia also received the honour of hosting the Gavin Green Junior Amateur 2018, that gets underway in December.

As tournament host, Singh will not only be competing in the event, but will also be tasked with planning player functions, pro-am groupings, and making sure players are well taken care of.

“It’s going to be a hard week. I have a couple of good functions and a few dinners lined up for the boys. It is my first year as host and I just want to make all the players feel comfortable and welcomed at the event, but of course the first objective would always be to win the tournament, even if it means I am being an ungrateful host,” added Singh, who is also an Arjuna Award winner.

With the staging of this event, Singh hopes to boost the growth of golf in India and pave the way for aspiring Indian talents.

“I have played over 25 years of golf and the most important thing for professional athletes is to stay focused, work hard and be disciplined. That what I can say for the younger golfers coming up. There’s going to be a lot of highs and lows but you just have to believe in yourself. That keeps you going for a longer period of time,” said the six-time Asian Tour winner.