Jeev tied 5th, breaks into top 10 in European Order of Merit

Belfry, UK, Sep 29 (UNI) Despite a one-over 73 in the last round, ace Indian pro Jeev Milkha Singh signed off at tied fifth in the Quinn British Masters here.

Jeev's top five finish yesterday also helped him to move into the top 10 of the European Tour rankings and if he continues to stay in the top 15, he will get a direct entry into the Majors, British and US Opens next year, besides which he will also be sure for the PGA Championships.

Another Indian in the fray, Shiv Kapur had to be content with a tied 59th finish to slip down to 115th in the Money List. He had a disappointing outing with a final round of 74 to finish with a total of seven-over 295.

Jeev, who was tied third at the end of the third round, slipped to fifth with a total of six-under 282. Jeev carded 69 and then shot his only over-par round of the week on the final day.

The Chandigarh pro started steadily as he parred his first five holes before hitting a double-bogey on the sixth hole. He had another bogey on the ninth, as he turned in three-over.

But birdies on the 10th and 13th raised hopes only to see another bogey on 16th. He quickly made up with a birdie on 17th to end at 73.

''I will take this finish. I was rusty, coming back after a break. I am playing well, but whenever you come back after a break, it takes a bit of time. As for my ankle, it is improving,'' he said.

''I am happy with the way the season is going as I have a win in Europe and Japan and couple of second place finishes in Asia. Also the PGA finish in top-10 was satisfying, though I was aiming for a top-5,'' he added.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (67) of Spain, who was tied for third spot with Jeev after the third round, took the title beating Englishman Lee Westwood (70) in a play-off.

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