Win at Vienna a reward for staying positive: Jeev

Jeev Milkha Singh brought an 18-month title drought to an end by winning the Bank Austria Golf Open, his third triumph on the European Tour. "I would rate it as one of the best wins of my career so far, considering that I decided to play in the tournament at the eleventh hour and did not even get a practice round as the Pro-Am was rained off. The win feels better than any other because I feel I've improved in many areas," Jeev told the Hindustan Times from Vienna.

<b1>Jeev may have won the title but he felt the effort was far from convincing. "On the last day, I played 18 consecutive pars and managed just one-shot victory over England's Simon Wakefield, who returned a 68 in the final round," he said. "I really played well this week and made just one bogey during the period. But I couldn't hole my putts on the last day, whereas the other guy (Wakefield) played really well."

The title drought made him hungry for success and determined to stage a comeback. "It is very important for a player to keep winning.

After 2006 (the twin Volvo titles) people started expecting more from me but I failed to deliver in 2007.

“I neither had the inclination nor the time to get discouraged. I hung on and kept trying. It was a challenge to stay positive and I guess my persistence paid off," he said.

Jeev, who has had a fairly consistent year so far with two second place finishes and a couple of top ten finishes, hopes to build on this win. "I had a great start to the year and this title will give me a lot of confidence. I am hoping to carry on from here and win more titles. All I need is to stay focussed and positive."

The 37-year-old golfer is taking a break from his busy playing schedule before heading to Munich. "I want to relax (in London) and get refreshed so that I can carry on from where I left off this week," he said.