Jeev on song; wins second Japan Tour title

Tokyo, Dec 3 (UNI) Jeev Milkha Singh capped an enviable year in the Japan Tour with yet another win as the ace Indian golfer returned a decent level-par 70 final round card to lay his fingers on the season-ending Golf Nippon Series JT Cup here today.

With his second consecutive win -- he won the Casio Open last week -- Jeev pocketed 30 million yen and the Chandigarh pro now looks poised to break into the top 50 in the world thus earning an automatic qualification for next year's Augusta Masters -- season's first major.

Jeev, who had a comfortable four shot cushion atop the table at the start of the day's play, aggregated 11-under 269 to pip Nobuhiro Masuda of Japan by a stroke.

Masuda came tantalisingly close to force a play off after returning a sensational four-under 66 card but Jeev's lead proved good enough in the end.

The Asian Tour Order of Merit winner began ominously by dropping a bogey on the fifth hole but recovered quickly with a birdie on the next.

He sank another birdie on the 10th hole before dropping yet another shot on the par-four 12th hole.

Riding the form of his life, Jeev has been unstoppable this year as he lifted the Volvo China Open title in April and the Volvo Masters in Spain in October. He was recently crowned the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit winner after a joint third place finish at the UBS Hong Kong Open last month.

From here, Jeev heads off to the Asian Tour's season-finale Volvo Masters of Asia in Bangkok from December 14-17.

UNI XC DH PM BS1441