NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Jeev ties for 17th spot

Joy Chakravarty

Jeev Milkha Singh, the lone Indian challenge in the European PGA Tour, failed to repeat Saturday's form and ended tied for the 17th spot after playing a one-under 71 round on the final day of the 1-million euro Compass Group English Open, at Hertfordshire, England, on Sunday.

At the par-72, 7,016-yard Marriott Hanbury Manor Hotel course, Jeev made three birdies (on the 4th, 10th and 15th holes) as against two bogies (on the 8th and 17th) to aggregate nine-under 279 for the tournament. On Saturday, he had played a five-under 67 round which took him up to the joint 15th spot.

The finish pushed Jeev down to 22nd in the Volvo European PGA Tour Order of Merit from last week's 20th position. The tournament was won by Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, who played his fourth successive round in the 60s. A four-under 68 on the final day took his 72-hole tally to 20-under 268.

England's John Bickerton put up a valiant fight on the final day, with a seven-under 65 card, but fell two strokes short of the champion. David Carter, winner of the 1996-97 Honda-Siel PGA Championship in New Delhi, was tied for the third position along with Stephen Leaney of Australia at 14-under 274.

This was Jeev's third best finish this season after finishing third in the South African PGA Championship and runner-up in the South African Open at the beginning of the season.

Jeev has shown good form recently and has made seven cuts in the last eight tournaments of the European PGA Tour. The 27-year-old Chandigarh based pro left for the US on Sunday night to participate in the final qualifying round of the US Open, which begins at the Pinehurst Golf and Country Club from June 17.

Results (after 72 holes): 1st. 268 _ Darren Clarke (NIr) 68+65+67+68; 2nd. 270 _ John Bickerton (Eng) 64+73+68+65; T-3rd. 274 _ David Carter (Eng) 67+71+67+69; Stephen Leaney (Aus) 68+70+69+69; T-5th. 275 _ Colin Montgomerie (Sco) 70+70+65+70, Andrew Coltart (Sco) 68+73+64+70; T-7th. 276 _ Dean Robertson (Sco) 69+70+70+67, Mark Roe (Eng) 71+72+68+65; Olle Karlsson (Swe) 67+72+70+67, Fredrik Lindgren (Swe) 71+71+67+67; Peter Senior (Aus) 69+68+69+70, Gary Orr (Sco) 68+71+66+71 T-17th. 279 _ Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 68+73+67+71