The Chandigarh pro had missed an opportunity through the European qualifiers at Sunningdale on June 24 and will like to cash in on his vast experience at the Castle Stuart Golf Links in Inverness (Scotland), for a third appearance at The Open - if he is able to defend his title. The former Asian Tour No. 1 is paired with Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Richard Sterne of South Africa for the first two rounds.
Jeev had won the Scottish Open last year after defeating the then reigning Spanish Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy with a birdie at the first play-off hole to end a four-year title drought and get a direct entry to The Open. He had finished a lowly 69th though.
"I tried to qualify through Sunningdale but couldn't get through. This is the last opportunity for a place in the British Open and I will try my best to earn a berth," Jeev told TOI from Castle Stuart prior to the Pro-Am event.
"My preparations have been good and I am looking forward to defend my title. The game is there, it's only about creating a chance for a good finish," he said.
However, Jeev's optimism doesn't guarantee a win at Castle Stuart, considering he hasn't fully recovered from an injury to his right index finger sustained 12 months ago at the same venue, ruling him out for seven weeks of competition thereafter. He was forced to pull out of the prestigious BMW PGA Championship and the US Open qualifiers midway, two months back.
Further, the 41-year-old would have to battle against a quality field of seven Major winners including Ernie Els, 21 Ryder Cup players and 18 of the 29 European Tour champions for a go at the trophy, which is being treated as a warm-up for The Open next week.
"Jeev's injury is just 20-30 percent better. The dextrose injection that was advised by Dr Doug Kampbell at the Leeds Hospital has helped, but he's still far from having fully recovered. Jeev will take a month's rest after the Scottish Open, if he fails to make the British Open cut, to get it healed permanently," Jeev's coach Amritinder Singh said.
However, the release of his Olympian father and sprinter Milkha's biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag on Friday has boosted his confidence.
"It's an inspirational movie and just thinking of it gives me a high. My dad had gone through immense hardships before he won the gold medal in the 1958 Commonwealth Games at Cardiff. I hope to make him prouder with my display here," added Jeev, who has plummeted to 154th in the world due to his continuous tryst with injuries.
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