Top Indian golfers Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa have by no means performed a Major collectively of their common profession, however now at 50-plus, they are going to compete on the moist and windy Royal Porthcawl right here for the Senior Open, one of many Majors for gamers over 50 years of age.
Relishing the considered being again collectively on the identical occasion, simply as that they had carried out for 20 years and extra from junior days to professional days earlier than shifting previous 50 (to change into seniors), they had been excited to hook up regardless of the moist and windy climate.
“We loved playing with each other and this is a new beginning,” Jeev stated.
The ‘Big Three’, as they’re all the time referred to as, have seven World Tour wins between them, 5 wins in Japan and one on the PGA TOUR amongst their complete assortment of 40 worldwide titles. While Jeev was twice Asia No 1, the opposite two had been on prime as soon as every.
Shubhankar Sharma finishes tied-eighth, the best by an Indian golfer at the British Open
Jeev performed and missed the reduce on the Senior Open final 12 months when it was held at Gleneagles. Atwal and Randhawa, on their half, are taking part in their maiden Senior Major.
Atwal has performed three senior occasions earlier than this week and two of them have been Majors and he made the reduce in each. For Randhawa, will probably be his debut in seniors.
“This will be my fourth Senior event and three have been Majors. I am going to play a mix of Seniors and a few events that I can get on in the PGA TOUR,” stated Atwal, the one Indian who has gained on the most important Tour on the planet.
Jeev has been taking part in loads of Senior occasions around the globe — a number of within the US and a number of other others in Europe and Japan, too. He has had some top-10s, too, however none in Majors.
“I love the links and the Royal Porthcawl was my introduction to Links golf when I was about 15. We came for a Junior Amateur event. We (Amandeep Johl and Uttam Singh Mundy) had travelled from Paris and had run out of money,” Jeev recalled.
“We were helped by the Indian embassy to get visas and when we came here, we saw wind and rain and weather like this for the first time and played golf in it. I just fell in love with Links golf,” he added.
After profitable his first World Tour — then referred to as the European Tour — occasion in China, Jeev grew to become the one Indian to have gained three extra in Europe: the Scottish Open in Scotland, the Masters at Valderrama and the Austrian Open.
“That win in Scotland is still one of my best,” stated Jeev.
Randhawa was drawing plans for a month-long keep in Europe for a number of occasions and when he noticed that the Senior Open was in Wales, he determined to offer the Qualifiers a shot.
“I did it just like and got one of the spots. It will be fun to be back with my old friends (Jeev and Arjun) and lots of others who I played golf with for so many years on European and Asian Tours,” he stated.
All three heaped their reward on the younger Shubhankar Sharma, who performed excellent golf to complete in top-10. Sharma was tied-Eighth and was the one participant in your entire discipline to play a bogey-free spherical.
Jeev referred to as it “a fantastic performance by the young boy”.
“He was up there and anything could have happened. And I think that’s a great finish by the young man finishing eighth. I am proud of him. I think the country should be proud of him for the performance he’s put out there,” he stated.