Caddie salutes Jeev for his fighting spirit

Bangkok, Dec 14 (UNI) Ippei Fujimuro has seen Jeev Milkha Singh's phenomenal run of form from the closest quarter and the caddie doffed his hat at the Indian's tremendous fighting spirit to wriggle out of a seven-year drought to a deluge of success.

Fujimuro, who has caddied for Jeev since 2001, said the tenacious Indian never gave up trying during a seven-year ordeal which saw him sink to the depths of despair following injury woes and a loss in confidence.

''When Jeev was playing bad, he was still always a good guy. He'd always say 'I'm out of here' but he never gave up trying. He's hard working and I'm happy that he's come good this year,'' said Fujimuro.

He felt Jeev's turnaround came at the end of 2004 when the Indian threw away a four-stroke lead in the final round of the Okinawa Open.

''Those days, Jeev would play three good rounds and one bad final round,'' he said. ''After losing in Okinawa, he decided to read a lot of mental books and listen to tapes. I think that has been a big difference for him. His ball striking has improved as well but I think he's gotten better mentally.

''Previously, whenever he bogeyed a hole, he would go on to bogey the next hole. He could never forget the past,'' said Fujimuro.

While Jeev has often said that the Volvo China Open triumph in April was the catalyst that has sparked a sensational run of form which has seen him win three other tournaments, including the prestigious Volvo Masters in Spain, Japan's most famous bagman believes that a top-10 finish at the TCL Classic in China in the previous week helped Jeev see the light at the end of a very long tunnel.

''We were three over par after nine holes in the first round but he battled back to shoot under par. He then went on to finish in the top-10. I think he found out that good results come when you take it shot by shot,'' he said.

Jeev is poised to become a global player next year as he's exempted into all four Majors due to his top-50 status in the world ranking and also the World Golf Championship events. Fujimuro feels his employer can scale new peaks.

''He can go higher. He's got a lot of confidence and winning in Europe helps a lot as he knows he's beaten guys like Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington. He can do it in the Majors,'' he said.

The pair met in 2001 when Jeev earned his Japan Tour card through qualifying school. Fujimuro had just graduated with a Business Management degree but he opted to caddie instead and picked out Jeev's name from the roster.

''I'd not seen an Indian player before, so I decided to work for him. It's been good. I think we're more friends these days and he does listen to me on the golf course as well as I know his game so well now.

''Sometimes, when a player goes through a bad patch, he will change caddie. But I've been with him for a while now,'' he said.

UNI XC AY SAM ND1536