Singh hoping finger lets up for Scottish Open

by Fatiha Betscher

GOLF: CASTLE STUART, United Kingdom, July 13 (AFP) - Twelve months after injuring his finger en route to victory in the Scottish Open and Jeev Milka Singh's troublesome finger has still not fully mended.

Singh injured the index finger of his right hand playing a shot during the second round on the Gil Hanse-designed Castle Stuart course to the east of Inverness in northern Scotland.

Shortly after his play-off success over Italy's Francesco Molinari the injury forced Singh to sit out seven weeks of competition.

The injury flared again during November's Singapore Open, and an event Singh captured in 2008, forcing the Chandigarh golfer out of the second round at Sentosa. And while the 41-year-old has undergone continual treatment on his finger, the injury has seen Singh having also to withdraw from May's flagship PGA Championship and pull out of a US Open qualifier four days later.

The injury has also taken a toll on Singh's world ranking, the Indian having slipped to 154th in the world after being placed 87th following his Scottish Open win while he's 104th on the Race to Dubai money list after ending 32nd at the close of last season."It's been extremely frustrating as my finger is still not so good, honestly," he said.

"I've also been struggling with my driving and my injury too.

"I can trace the injury back to the Scottish Open last year, second round, my club got stuck in the ground.

"I then had about six to seven weeks off.