Pacific Magazine > Magazine > March 1, 2003

Sports

Vijay Is For Victory

Hard Work Pays Off For Fiji Golfer

By David K. Choo

His name means “victory” in Hindi. But Vijay Singh doesn’t only have the name. He’s got the game. Last January in the Arizona desert, Singh showed the sports world that he’s just reaching his golfing prime, firing a blistering 63 to win the Phoenix Open. The come-from-behind win was his 12th victory (including two major championship victories) since joining the PGA TOUR in 1993. Singh has also won an astounding 21 times on the international tour, earning victories on nearly every continent.

Photo: AP/Wideworld Photos

Born in Lautoka, Fiji, Singh started his golf career as a caddy for his father, Mohan, who was captain of the Nadi Airport Golf Club in Fiji. Mohan was also an engineer at the nearby Nadi Airport.

“When Vijay was 10, he started caddying for me, pulling my trundle, and later he began hitting golf balls,” Mohan Singh told Nando Media in 1998. “He was hitting the ball well on a tough course and I knew someday he would be a good golfer, but I never thought he would win a major tournament in the United States”

Vijay Singh Height: 6’-2" Weight: 198 Birthdate: February 22, 1963 Birthplace: Lautoka, Fiji Residence: Ponde Vedra Beach, Florida Family: Wife, Ardena Seth; son, Qass Seth Special Interests: Snooker, cricket, rugby, soccer Turned Professional: 1982 Joined Tour: Spring 1993

Although Singh is in his 10th year on the PGA TOUR, the lanky Indo-Fijian is hotter than ever. He ended the 2001 season with a victory at the prestigious season-ending TOUR Championship and was tied for fourth at 2003’s season-opening Mercedes Championships. Two weeks later, he birdied the first five out of six holes in the final round in Phoenix to sprint into a lead he would never relinquish.

“I think my best golf is yet to come, and this is probably it,” Singh told The Golf Channel. “I’m playing well; I feel good about my golf swing and my health.”

Vijay’s PGA Victories 1993 Buick Classic 1995 Phoenix Open, Buick Classic 1997 Memorial Tournament, Buick Open 1998 PGA Championship, Sprint International 1999 Honda Classic 2000 Masters Tournament 2002 Shell Houston Open, The Tour Championship 2003 Phoenix Open

Singh, widely regarded as the hardest worker on the tour, has stepped up his already rigorous practice regime to include strength and flexibility training, twice a day, morning and night. In addition, he has been hard at work correcting his only weakness: putting. He spends 30 minute before every round on the practice green and an hour after.

The result of all this hard work is a game that marries booming drives with a deft touch around the greens. It’s a game that can tame any course in the world and maybe even a certain Tiger.