Inspired by Jeev, Johl set to make Japan tour debut

Tokyo, June 27 (UNI) All set to make his debut at the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship, Amandeep Johl says he is hoping to emulate the success of his illustrious compatriot and in the tournament Jeev Milkha Singh.

''I am hoping to get in a practice round with Jeev on Wednesday.

I have not had a chance to speak to him since his US Open appearance, as he was still in the United States. However, I am looking forward to learning some things from him and feeding off of the success he has enjoyed recently,'' Johl said after arriving here for the tournament which gets underway on Thursday.

Johl, who has been invited by the title-sponsor UBS as part of its partnership with the Asian Tour's Order of Merit, said Jeev was an inspiration to him and his presence here would be a morale-booster for him.

''It will be great to have a compatriot here, in addition to the many Asians who challenge more regularly in Japan throughout the year. I believe I have a great chance and I will aim to take full advantage of it,'' the 37-year-old said.

Jeev leads the UBS Order of Merit and enjoying a good season having won the Volvo China Open in April and recorded seven top-10 finishes in all thus far.

He also qualified for the US open recently and played all four rounds of the event. Last week, however, was somewhat disappointing for the seasoned who failed to qualify for the The Open in the Royal Liverpool after finishing tied sixth at the Japan Open in Okayama.

Johl, who is 17th in the Order of Merit 100,000 dollars earnings, has two top-three finishes so far.

''The 2006 season has been quite good thus far and I am very happy with my progress with a number of top-10 finishes, including a second and third, although a win would have been great,'' he said.

Johl said he did not set huge targets for himself and was aiming to qualify for the European Tour next year.

''I set very small goals at the beginning, having come off a disappointing 2005 campaign without keeping my card. One of my goals was to get my card and fortunately I have been able to essentially secure that. I'm now looking at bigger goals like better results and also qualifying for the Japanese and European Tours for 2007,'' he said.

''I hope I can continue my fine form in Tokyo and use this to catapult me into the second half of the Asian Tour schedule, so I can move further up the UBS Order of Merit,'' he added.

The Japan Golf Tour Championship is being played over the 7,179-yard West Course at Shishido Hills Country Club, located in Ibaraki Prefecture about 90 minutes northeast of Tokyo.

The champion will take home a cheque for 30 million yen.

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