After he shot a 3-under-par 68 in the opening round of the AT&T National, Vijay Singh refused a request to do a media sit down. This is par for the course for Singh, whose disdain for the press ranks with that of Art Monk and Eddie Murray.
Too bad. Singh is an interesting subject. He’s just eight months away from eligibility for the Champions Tour but seems to have little interest in graduating to the 50-and-over circuit. Maybe it’s because he’s a proud mega-talent who hasn’t gotten his due.
He’s won 34 PGA Tour titles, three majors and spent an amazing 11 straight years in the top five on the money list. The current player with the most comparable resume is Phil Mickelson, who has 40 PGA Tour wins and four majors. But rarely will you hear the two mentioned in the same breath.
While Mickelson is accessible and image conscious, Singh is anything but. It’s hard to say which approach is more admirable.
For all his mystery, Singh remains an intriguing figure. His swing is still a thing of beauty, similar to that of Sam Snead. Like Snead late in his career, Singh still can’t putt and hasn’t won a tournament since the FedEx Cup in 2008 or been the same since undergoing surgery on his right knee twice in 2009. But he’s made the cut in 12 of 16 events this season.
Maybe it’s his time. It would be nice to see if he thinks so, but all he was available for on Thursday was perfunctory post-round comments in the “flash area.”
“I’ve been playing well for the last month or so but nothing is coming out of it,” Singh said.
Singh had seven birdies on Thursday, more than anyone in the field. He looked ready to make a serious move when he chipped in for a birdie at No. 10 to get to 4-under par, but he gave much of it back.
“I thought I was going to go out there and really shoot a low one,” Singh said. “Then I bogeyed three in a row right after that.”
Whether he contends or not, it might be worth walking a few holes with Singh this weekend, just to appreciate the swing and the mystery.
– Kevin Dunleavy
