Is FedExCup Singh's last big performance? Don't bet on it
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor
ATLANTA -- Vijay Singh is 45 years old, and in four days when he claims the FedExCup trophy and the $10 million prize attached to it, you might be tempted to think you're seeing the last big achievement in his storied Hall of Fame career.
After all, at that age, golfers generally don't get to bask in that kind of glory on the PGA TOUR. Sure, there's the occassional tournament win (or three, like Singh and 48-year-old Kenny Perry did this year). There's the potential to make some noise in a major, like 53-year-old Greg Norman did at the Open Championship. And there's the possibility of a team achievement, like Perry enjoyed with the U.S. team at last week's Ryder Cup.
But 46-year-old golfers, which Singh will be when he tees it up at the Masters next April, aren't supposed to win majors. Jack Nicklaus did win at Augusta in 1986, but then, he's Jack Nicklaus. Julius Boros was 48 when he won the PGA Championship in 1968. But that's it.
Considering Singh was not even a factor in the majors this year -- he missed two cuts, tied for 65th at the U.S. Open and tied for 14th at Augusta, a four-tournament performance he himself labeled as a "disappointment" -- it doesn't bode well for him next year.
There are exceptions to the rule, though. And when it comes to defying age limitations, Vijay Singh is the prototypical example.
This is a guy who has not exactly followed the normal career trajectory of a TOUR pro. While everybody else gets worse as they get into their 40s, Singh has gotten better. Of his 34 TOUR victories, 22 have come after he turned 40, a record that may never be broken (yes, even by Tiger).
He became the oldest player to win a World Golf Championships event when he won the Bridgestone Invitational last month. And his back-to-back wins to start the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup showed that there's still plenty of shots left in his still-trim body. Yes, 45-year-olds can still cash $10 million checks.
And that's why it's worth paying attention the next four days at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. It's not because you're seeing Singh's swan song, but because you're watching a golfer truly defy conventional wisdom.
"Vijay is quite a story," said Hunter Mahan, who is 26 years old now but was just 2 when Singh won his first pro event, the 1984 Malaysian PGA Championship on the Asian tour. "I mean, he is relentless in his pursuit to be the best player that he can be."
That relentless approach means endless hours on the driving range; Singh's practice regimen has long ago become the stuff of legends. It means keeping your body fit, even when the trainer is knocking on your door at 5 in the morning and the last thing you want to do is work out. It means maintaining your mental focus, even enhancing it by convincing yourself that you're the world's greatest putter (and then going out and proving it at The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship).
Singh doesn't claim to have a body fit for a 25-year-old. He knows those days are long gone. But there are not many 45-year-olds who can match his fitness level for golf.
"I'm able to swing the club a lot more freer than most guys close to their 50s," Singh explained Wednesday. "I've been blessed with very loose joints, so I can still swing the club pretty much past parallel whenever I want to.
"As you get older, your swing gets shorter, your turn gets shorter, but mine seem to stay the same. And at the same time, I work really hard with my physique as well."
That's why he's had a trainer for the last several years, making sure that he stays on track. The aches and pains are going to come -- he's been battling tendinitis in his left forearm for the past few weeks -- but Singh is well-tuned to what his body tells him.
That's why he didn't even hit balls for a week after returning home from the BMW Championship. Even after he picked up the pace last week, he didn't overdo it. And then on Saturday and Sunday, he vegged out in front of his television, watching the Ryder Cup.
"The older you get, the harder it is to feel younger," Singh said. "You've got to work twice or three times as hard. You also have to watch what you work on. It's very easy to get hurt.
"It's a very delicate situation. You've got to work hard and at the same time don't get hurt. That's what I'm trying to do, find different ways of working hard and feeling strong and not feeling pain the next day. ... The only issue here is how much stronger can I get and not get hurt, and that's the key right now. I'm making a plan and trying to get strong again and come out next year really fit."
No wonder his fellow competitors continue to be impressed by Singh's play. Mahan himself said he doesn't think Singh is "as talented as a lot of guys out here," but that his mental and physical focus make up the difference.
"He keeps his body in unbelievable shape," Mahan said. "He works so hard on every aspect of the game of golf that it's amazing to see someone that focused for such a long time."
That focus is why Singh remains determined to keep his foot on the pedal for the next few years. If anyone can break Boros' record for oldest winner of a major, it would be the big Fijian.
Of course, he'll have to putt with the kind of confidence and bravura that has displayed in the Playoffs. He'll need to stay healthy, of course. And he'll have to hold off Woods, who'll not only be determined but antsy to restart his pursuit of Nicklaus' record 18 majors after sitting out the last two this year due to reconstructive knee surgery.
"My career is still at its peak," Singh said.
So forget the 40s. What about in his 50s? Will we see Vijay Singh winning another FedExCup trophy in, say, 2013? Will he be the next 53-year-old to contend on the final day for a major? And unlike Norman, will he be able to complete the job?
"I don't know about into my 50s," he said with a smile, "but I'm not going to go away for the next five years."
So ... go ahead and appreciate Singh's achievement this Sunday after the final putt drops at East Lake. But don't worry about saying goodbye.
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