Jeev soars and slumps in round of 70, tied 9th after opening round

Hokkaido, Japan, July 20 (UNI) Jeev Milkha Singh began with a bang but fizzled out towards the end and yet his round of two-under 70 was good enough to fetch tied ninth place after the opening round of the Sega Sammy Cup here today.

Sulking after failing to qualify for the British Open, Jeev, who recently took over as the highest ranked Indian golf, shares the ninth spot with 12 others and would be eyeing another top five finish in his happy hunting ground of Japan Tour.

The Chandigarh-based golfer started with picking up a shot, parred the next and then reeled off a birdie hat-trick before dropping his first shot on the par-three seventh, even though he compensated it by finishing his halfway journey with a birdie to resume his backward journey at four-under.

His back nine, however, proved a tricky proposition and after three par shots, Jeev dropped as many bogeys in the next four holes and eventually signed off with a birdie to arrest the slide.

Masamichi Uehira's sparkling five-under 67 saw him finishing at the top of table, with a pack of four players just one shot adrift.

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