Jeev Milkha Singh will get another chance to prove his mettle on the hallowed turf of Augusta National Golf Club as the ace Indian pro has received a special invitation for the 2008 Masters.
Jeev made history last year when he became the first Indian to qualify for the Masters after breaking into the top-50 of world ranking. He had a memorable debut at the event as he led the field for a brief spell before finishing tied 37th.
The Chandigarh-based golfer is surprised that he got the invitation despite slipping to the 81st spot in world rankings.
"I could not have asked for a better start to the year. I was planning to work my way back into the world's top-50 to qualify again," a delighted Jeev said.
"It's a dream come true as the Masters is my favourite championship. I am going to try and improve from last year's finish as I enjoyed playing at Augusta National. Second time around, I am still as excited going to the Masters," the 2006 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner said.
After notching up four victories in 2006, Jeev was not able to repeat his dream run next year. However, he came up with some very impressive performances.
On the European Tour, he had two tied 12th finishes at the BMW PGA Championship and Open de France ALSTOM and a tied 16th at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.
Jeev also did not fare too badly at the Asian Tour's Hero Honda Indian Open, finishing tied 13th. He rounded off his year in style with two top-10s -- tied third at the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup and tied seventh at Dunlop Phoenix -- on the Japan Golf Tour.
Besides Jeev, two other Asian Tour stars -- China's Liang Wen-chong, UBS Asian Tour Order of Merit winner for 2007, and Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand -- have received this year's Masters invitation.
"I want to thank the Masters committee for extending invitations to the Asian competitors. I believe it is a great recognition for us," Jeev said.
