Is it a sign of the  times that as India becomes a more dominant player in the world economy, they have a sporting hero emerging in the elitist sport of golf?

A few years back, who would have reckoned that an Indian golfer's name would be on a board with the likes of Tiger Woods? The closest India had got was the Fijian, Vijay Singh.

But now an Indian, playing at the Augusta Masters, has made it past the cut for the very first time, and will go into Sunday's final round still with an chance of winning the event.

It's a very creditable performance by Jeev Milkha Singh. The 25-year-old son of Milka Singh, one of India's foremost athletes and Olympians, Jeev is doing India proud. He finished third in the Hong Kong Open last November, when he won over $100,000 - and has soared to 48th in the European rankings.

Besides winning the Pro Asia tournament in Bangkok last year, a pair of back-to-back wins in Japan lifted him into the world top 50. Now he says his ambition is ''to win the British Open and the US Masters.''

Young Jeev  has a lot to live up to. His father is the great Milka Singh, while his mother, Nirma Kaur, was captain of the Indian volleyball team