JEJU, South Korea (AFP) — India's Jeev Milkha Singh battled flu and the after-effects of a freak buggy accident to share the Ballantine's Championship lead on Saturday.
The 36-year-old went on a nine-birdie blitz in round three for his eight-under 64 and total of 18-under 198, leading alongside Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell.
Singh's exploits came despite suffering flu and a sore foot following a buggy crash last week which also left him slightly concussed.
"It's better but not 100 percent," Singh said when asked about his flu.
"I also have a sore foot but we've got the physios out there and they're taking care of me."
Singh, who has received an invitation to next month's US Masters, feared the worst when his buggy crashed into a palm tree at last week's Malaysian Open.
"We saw the tree going and I told my caddie to brake but instead of braking, he pressed the accelerator and we hit it head on," he said earlier.
"I held on to the chair but the chair actually came up, hit my back, I went flying through the windscreen, hit my head and luckily the windscreen was plastic and not glass. If not I wouldn't know what would have happened.
"I was under observation for 24 hours. They said that I've to watch myself but everything is under control," he added. "But after that as the week started, I got the flu and I haven't been feeling good."
Singh has shrugged off his problems to move within sight of his second European Tour crown and the third for Indian golfers this year after S.S.P. Chowrasia's Indian Masters win and Arjun Atwal in Malaysia.
"I think we've got a good local tour in place and I think the local golfers now understand that they can compete with the top players," he said.
"They obviously believe that if these guys can do it, why not us? That's the attitude they have.
"I think in the near future, you're going to see a lot more guys doing much better now."
Singh, India's most celebrated golfer, won the 2006 Volvo Masters on the European Tour and also has five Asian Tour victories to his name.
The 2.9-million-dollar Ballantine's Championship is South Korea's first European Tour event.
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