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I am looking forward to 2008: Jeev
"Nonetheless, I am playing well once again and am looking forward to 2008," he stressed.
Terming as "very average" his performance this year, ace golfer Jeev Milkha Singh on Monday said that he was playing well again and looking forward to excel in 2008.
"It's been a very average year since I have raised the bar for myself after my dream run in 2006. I think I was trying too hard as there were more expectations and pressure compared to the previous year," the golfer said.
"Every individual goes through all kinds of phases, good, average and bad. At least, I know that 2007 was by no means a bad year for me, it was an average year."
"Nonetheless, I am playing well once again and am looking forward to 2008," he stressed.
Talking about his positives drawn from 2007, Jeev said he was getting back into the groove.
"Things now seem to be falling back into place. I feel I am getting back into my groove. I'm feeling comfortable after coming back on the leaderboard in Japan and am hitting the ball well. My performance at the US Masters was also highly satisfying. Even though I was nervous going into the tournament, I think I managed myself very well that week."
The two most important lessons that I have learnt in the last one year are the need to manage myself better and not to be too hungry for a win, he said.
On his busy schedule of more than 40 weeks of competitive golf, he said it was very tough to constantly shuttle from one part of the world to the other.
"It takes a toll on your body. You are also vulnerable to injuries. But it's part of my job and playing golf around the world is something I love doing," he added.
About his fitness regimen, Jeev said, "I do yoga six days a week and weight training for three days. I also do specific exercises for golf muscles and run about a mile everyday. I also dedicate some time for my mental training on a daily basis."
Jeev said the Royal Trophy is the next big target for him.
"It's a matchplay event with a format very similar to the Ryder Cup. This event will see the top eight Asian professionals being pitted against the top eight European pros. It's a good warm-up for the 2008 season as most players will be competing after a five-week break.
"The last time I participated in a matchplay event was also at the Royal Trophy in January 2007, so I am excited about playing in this event once again."
