Vijay Singh was killing 'em in the Buick Invitational media center at Torrey Pines yesterday, and we don't mean with a cold, hard stare.
The world's No. 2-ranked golfer was tossing one-liners all over the place, and genuine laughter was bursting from the room. Singh's buddies on tour will tell you he's a regular Jerry Seinfeld in the locker room, and he's a good friend of Jesper Parnevik's, so he's got to have a sense of humor.
But letting down his close-cropped hair in front of a bunch of scribes? It was jarring enough to wonder if the usually all-business Fijian had been possessed by Peter Jacobsen.
Singh was so extraordinarily talkative and relaxed that someone finally had to query him about the change.
"The questions I've been asked are better than what I was asked last year," Singh said, breaking into a big grin. "I've always been comfortable," he added later. "You guys (reporters) made me uncomfortable, you know."
No doubt, it's easier to be happy with the kind of run Singh is enjoying. Heading into the first round of the Buick Invitational today, Singh has an incredible 12 top-10 finishes in a row and three wins in his past nine starts, including last week at Pebble Beach.
For the better part of a year, Singh arguably has been the best player in the world, having cut Tiger Woods' lead in the World Golf Rankings by more than half, to the smallest margin since the system was revamped in 2001.
This week, the two are entered together in a full-field event for the first time this year, with Singh having bested Woods' tie for fourth at the winners-only Mercedes Championships with a runner-up finish.
If that isn't good enough, Singh seems to have put behind him much of the resentment he felt last May, when his criticism of Annika Sorenstam's Colonial appearance produced caustic backlash.
In fact, Singh got feisty yesterday when asked what he thought of teenager Michelle Wie's possible future inclusion in PGA Tour events.
"They can invite all the women they want to; they can't beat me," Singh boasted. "I have nothing against women. If they want to invite 20 of them, go ahead. It's not going to affect me at all."
Coming off a 2003 season in which he won four times and halted Woods' string of four straight seasons atop the money list, Singh may be as confident as he ever has been. His loss to Woods in the Player of the Year voting was reportedly close, and he may finally feel as if he's getting the recognition he deserves for two victories in majors, 14 other wins and six straight finishes in the top five of the money list.
"It's good to see that I've finally got some attention on me now," Singh said.
"This week here, I already feel like I'm going to play well. That's a good feeling. It used to be you come over here and you don't know how you're going to do, how your swing's going to turn out. But I feel like I can play well again.
"I guess that's the momentum that's carrying me through. If I just get into contention come Saturday evening, that's the way I'm thinking. I'm going to have a good chance to win the golf tournament."
Despite Singh's impressive play of late, Woods isn't ready to call him his most formidable rival, probably because no player – not David Duval, Phil Mickelson nor Ernie Els – has been able to maintain a prolonged challenge.
"He's definitely up there," Woods said yesterday.
But what Woods cannot deny is his admiration for Singh's work ethic and his stamina. While Singh has played at least 24 official events in each of the past eight years, Woods has entered no more than 19 in the past three.
"For him, he's able to maintain that high for a long period of time," Woods said. "For me, if I did that, I would break down because I would start to lose my focus. I can't stand out there on the range and hit balls after a tournament round for three hours – not only once, but day after day."
It was one of those marathon sessions last year that knocked Singh out of the Buick Invitational. He was working on a swing drill with a rubber ball tucked under his left arm, and despite feeling twinges of pain, he kept on pounding balls. The next day he was so sore he had to withdraw, and an MRI at home revealed a cracked rib.
Singh was sidelined for six weeks, and – here's a surprise – he still managed to get in work.
"I chipped a lot and I putted a lot," he said. "It didn't hurt when I putted. That's probably why I'm putting so well now."
Singh grinds on, and he shows no sign of letting up. He is 40, but works out with a personal trainer twice a day. He jokes that he might as well be out playing in tournaments because he'd be hitting balls at home.
"I just feel like I love playing golf tournaments, and that's the bottom line," Singh said. "If I can do that and earn a lot of money, what is there better to do in the world than enjoy what you do?"
http://www.signonsandiego.com
The world's No. 2-ranked golfer was tossing one-liners all over the place, and genuine laughter was bursting from the room. Singh's buddies on tour will tell you he's a regular Jerry Seinfeld in the locker room, and he's a good friend of Jesper Parnevik's, so he's got to have a sense of humor.
But letting down his close-cropped hair in front of a bunch of scribes? It was jarring enough to wonder if the usually all-business Fijian had been possessed by Peter Jacobsen.
Singh was so extraordinarily talkative and relaxed that someone finally had to query him about the change.
"The questions I've been asked are better than what I was asked last year," Singh said, breaking into a big grin. "I've always been comfortable," he added later. "You guys (reporters) made me uncomfortable, you know."
No doubt, it's easier to be happy with the kind of run Singh is enjoying. Heading into the first round of the Buick Invitational today, Singh has an incredible 12 top-10 finishes in a row and three wins in his past nine starts, including last week at Pebble Beach.
For the better part of a year, Singh arguably has been the best player in the world, having cut Tiger Woods' lead in the World Golf Rankings by more than half, to the smallest margin since the system was revamped in 2001.
This week, the two are entered together in a full-field event for the first time this year, with Singh having bested Woods' tie for fourth at the winners-only Mercedes Championships with a runner-up finish.
If that isn't good enough, Singh seems to have put behind him much of the resentment he felt last May, when his criticism of Annika Sorenstam's Colonial appearance produced caustic backlash.
In fact, Singh got feisty yesterday when asked what he thought of teenager Michelle Wie's possible future inclusion in PGA Tour events.
"They can invite all the women they want to; they can't beat me," Singh boasted. "I have nothing against women. If they want to invite 20 of them, go ahead. It's not going to affect me at all."
Coming off a 2003 season in which he won four times and halted Woods' string of four straight seasons atop the money list, Singh may be as confident as he ever has been. His loss to Woods in the Player of the Year voting was reportedly close, and he may finally feel as if he's getting the recognition he deserves for two victories in majors, 14 other wins and six straight finishes in the top five of the money list.
"It's good to see that I've finally got some attention on me now," Singh said.
"This week here, I already feel like I'm going to play well. That's a good feeling. It used to be you come over here and you don't know how you're going to do, how your swing's going to turn out. But I feel like I can play well again.
"I guess that's the momentum that's carrying me through. If I just get into contention come Saturday evening, that's the way I'm thinking. I'm going to have a good chance to win the golf tournament."
Despite Singh's impressive play of late, Woods isn't ready to call him his most formidable rival, probably because no player – not David Duval, Phil Mickelson nor Ernie Els – has been able to maintain a prolonged challenge.
"He's definitely up there," Woods said yesterday.
But what Woods cannot deny is his admiration for Singh's work ethic and his stamina. While Singh has played at least 24 official events in each of the past eight years, Woods has entered no more than 19 in the past three.
"For him, he's able to maintain that high for a long period of time," Woods said. "For me, if I did that, I would break down because I would start to lose my focus. I can't stand out there on the range and hit balls after a tournament round for three hours – not only once, but day after day."
It was one of those marathon sessions last year that knocked Singh out of the Buick Invitational. He was working on a swing drill with a rubber ball tucked under his left arm, and despite feeling twinges of pain, he kept on pounding balls. The next day he was so sore he had to withdraw, and an MRI at home revealed a cracked rib.
Singh was sidelined for six weeks, and – here's a surprise – he still managed to get in work.
"I chipped a lot and I putted a lot," he said. "It didn't hurt when I putted. That's probably why I'm putting so well now."
Singh grinds on, and he shows no sign of letting up. He is 40, but works out with a personal trainer twice a day. He jokes that he might as well be out playing in tournaments because he'd be hitting balls at home.
"I just feel like I love playing golf tournaments, and that's the bottom line," Singh said. "If I can do that and earn a lot of money, what is there better to do in the world than enjoy what you do?"
http://www.signonsandiego.com
