Singh struggles through the cheers at East Lake

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ATLANTA -- Who could blame him?

Everywhere Vijay Singh has gone this week, people have been congratulating him. Way to go, Vijay. What are you going to with all that money, Vijay?

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Vijay Singh said he's not used to getting congratulated before a tournament starts.

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When you're four rounds and a signature away from winning the FedExCup and its $10 million bonus, you can be forgiven for losing a little concentration.

Singh would be the first one to tell you he hasn't played as well as he expected during the first two rounds of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. His rounds of 73-74 have included 11 bogeys and just four birdies, and he's been a non-factor this week.

The man who won the first two events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup came to East Lake having never finished lower than ninth. It would now take a dramatic turnaround this weekend for Singh to approach yet another top-10, though.

"When I started off I was a little bit too overwhelmed with the situation I was in," Singh said with a wry smile. "Wherever you go, whatever I did yesterday, it was like people were congratulating me before the tournament even started.

"I want to get congratulated after the tournament. So that kind of plays a weird thing in your mind. I tried to keep focused. Two more days, see what I can do."

Singh has experienced particular trouble on the front nine in the first two rounds. He's bogeyed the first hole each day, hasn't made a birdie and it a combined 7 over for those 18 holes.

In short, he's put himself behind the eight-ball early. And if the truth be told, that situation, rather than a more challenging East Lake layout this year, may be the key to Singh's troubles this week.

"It's not really playing that difficult if you're hitting it OK," Singh said. "If you miss the fairways, that's when the trouble comes. You're very happy to get close to the pins.

"If you do miss the fairway, you should just play safe. But if you're over par, it always seems like you want to go for a flag and you get into more trouble. When we're in contention, we play more to the safer side so we can make par if we're in trouble."

Singh, who credits his recent success that includes three wins in his last six starts to a renewed belief in his flat stick, has taken 63 putts in the first two rounds, including 33 today. He's missed half of his fairways and 16 greens, as well.

Prior to Friday's round of 4 over, Singh had never shot higher than 73 at East Lake. The edge he held in terms of familiarity with the course, though, has been all but negated now that the greens have been resurfaced and seeded with Bermuda instead of bentgrass.

"It's hard to read the greens," Singh acknowledged. "Just very similar to what we played the first time at TPC (Sawgrass after the 2006 renovation). We've played here so many times, and you kind of know which way it's going to break. When you keep looking at it you know it's going to break left, but it just doesn't go that way.

"I think the first time it's better here because you don't really know these greens."

Regardless of whether alterations were made to the course, though, Singh expects more of himself. Focus is the key, and the big Fijian is nothing if not mentally strong.

"I was out there trying really hard," Singh said. "I'm going to go out there tomorrow and try to shoot (low). Kim shot 6 under yesterday, so it's out there."