Vijay Singh

Singh, Fiji's first and only world-class golfer, is a three-time major winner (2000 Masters and 1998 and 2004 PGA Championship). He has also won titles in Malaysia, France, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Spain, Germany, England, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Canada, South Korea, and the United States. He learned the game from his father, an airplane technician who also taught golf. Admired Tom Weiskopf while growing up and used his swing as an early model for his own. Noted for his rigorous practice routine, he once held a club professional position in Borneo. Of Indian ancestry, his first name means "victory" in Hindi. His life as a professional was tough for the first eight years. Because of problems on the Asian tour and he had no place to play, he went to Borneo and took a series of club pro jobs, giving lessons to lumberjacks and truck drivers and making between $150 to $200 a month. He had a lot of time to practice and perfect his game. To maintain his competitive edge, he played high-stakes matches with the locals. In 1987, he saved up some money to try and qualify for the British Open but missed out by eight shots. After failing to get his PGA Tour card at the end of the year, he made a radical decision. Instead of going back to Borneo, he joined the Safari Tour in Africa and played in towns that he described as "a Mad Max kind of place." But thanks to a victory at the 1988 Nigerian Open and 3rd-place finishes in Zimbabwe and Kenya, he topped the Safari Tour money list. He also became the first non-Swedish player to win the Swedish PGA. In 1989, Vijay started the year by winning the Zimbabwe Open and again won the money list. He graduated from the European Tour Qualifying School in 1988 and played seven seasons before establishing his base in America. He got into the 1992 Memorial and in his first PGA Tour start, finished T-7th. Next, he finished T-13th at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Those promising results and his solid play in Europe, where he won twice and placed 9th on the money list, helped him get invited to the 1993 Nestle Invitational. He made the most of it by finishing T-2nd, which earned him a special membership that became a full membership three months later with his win at the Buick Classic. He captured the PGA Championship title in 1998 and then the Masters in 2000. Completed a major achievement in 2003 with four victories, plus 14 top-10 finishes in only 27 starts. Finished No. 1 on the PGA Tour money list for the first time with $7,573,907, ending Tiger Woods' four-year reign at the top. Was even better in 2004, when he won nine times, including the PGA Championship, and repeated as money leader. It was part of a remarkable run in which he finished in the top-5 every year from 1998 to 2008.
Was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006. Member of 1994, '96, '98, 2000, '03, '05, '07 and '09 Presidents Cup teams. Was named Player of the Year in 2004.
2008 Notes: Lost a playoff to Steve Lowery at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Defeated Sergio Garcia with a birdie at the second extra hole to win The Barclays. Won four of his last eight starts, including an unofficial win at the Chevron World Challenge.
2009 Notes: Underwent right knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in mid-January. His No. 68 position on the money list, after 11 consecutive seasons of top-5 finishes on the money list, was his lowest as a Tour member.
2010 Notes: After finishing 11 consecutive years in the top-5 of the money list, fell to 68th in 2009 and 66th in 2010.
2011 Notes: Finished 28th in the FedExCup standings and on the money list. For the first time since 1989, fell out of the top 100 in the world ranking early in the year but ended the year 63rd.
2012 Notes: Made 23 of 27 cuts and had five top-10s but only one top-5, a T-4th at the Frys.com Open. Finished 33rd in the FedExCup standings and 51st on the money list.
2013 Notes: Turned 50 in February to become eligible to play on the PGA Tour Champions. Still played a full season on the PGA Tour but posted only one top-25 finish, a T-20th at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Missed the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time in his career and failed to record a top-10 on Tour for the first time since 1991. Ended a streak of 20 consecutive years inside the top 70 on the final money list. Finished 146th in the FedExCup standings and 162nd on the money list. Made his PGA Tour Champions debut in September at the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship, finishing T-6th at Kapolei GC after a final-round, one-over-par 73. Ended his year with a 3rd-place finish at the Talisker Masters in Australia, four strokes behind winner Adam Scott.
2014 Notes: Broke his top-10 drought with a runner-up finish at the Frys.com Open. It marked his first top-10 on the PGA Tour since a T-4th at the 2012 Frys.com Open. At the 2014 U.S. Senior Open, his second PGA Tour Champions start, he finished T-5th. Was T-7th at the 3M Championship in Minnesota. Finished 87th in the FedExCup standings and 97th on the money list.
2015 Notes: Opened the Northern Trust with a 66 to lead, then shot 74-69-72 to finish T-12th, three strokes out of the playoff. At the Valspar Championship, shot 69-70-70-71 to finish T-10th, six strokes out of the playoff. Finished the year 119th in the FedExCup standings and 124th on the money list. Played twice on the PGA Tour Champions, finishing T-3rd at the Nature Valley First Tee and T-39th at the Toshiba Classic.
2016 Notes: Even at 53, played full-time on the PGA Tour over the PGA Tour Champions. Finished T-6 at the Honda Classic. With rounds of 68-66-71-65, he finished 2nd, three strokes behind Billy Hurley III at the Quicken Loans National. His final-round 65 marked his best final-round score since a 65 in the final round of the 2011 Wyndham Championship, where he finished T-4th. The runner-up performance was the 28th of his career and the first since the 2013 Frys.com Open. Finished 99th in the FedExCup standings and 88th on the money list. On the Champions Tour, made six starts, with his best finish a T-8th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Was the first-round leader at the U.S. Senior Open after an opening 66 but finished T-18th.
2017 Notes: Made just six cuts in 18 PGA Tour starts his best finish a T-14th at the RBC Canadian Open. Broke through for his first PGA Tour Champions victory when he teamed with Carlos Franco to win the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf. Was 2nd, one stroke behind Bernhard Langer, at the Senior PGA Championship. He finished T-7th at the U.S. Senior Open and T-8th at the Shaw Charity Classic. His game got hot at the end of the year, as he finished T-2nd at the SAS Championship, T-3rd at the Dominion Energy Charity, and T-2nd at the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Placed 5th in the Schwab ranking and 9th on the money list. On the PGA Tour, he failed for the second time to get into the FedExCup playoffs, finishing 178th in the standings.
2018 Notes: Played 20 PGA Tour Champions events with eight top-10 finishes. Placed 4th in the Schwab Cup ranking. On the PGA Tour, played 10 events but made just five cuts. Finished T-9th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. As many as six players shared the lead during the final round at the Toshiba Classic, and Singh was the last man standing as his five back-nine birdies helped him post an 11-under total and a one-stroke victory. It was his first individual win since the Dell Technologies Championship on September 1, 2008. As defending champions, Singh and Carlos Franco finished T-3rd at the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge. Won the Constellation Senior Players, defeating Jeff Maggert in a playoff. Was T-8th at the Dominion Energy Charity and T-10th at the Invesco QQQ. Shot a 10-under 61 in the final round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship to erase a six-stroke deficit and win by four strokes over Tim Petrovic.
2019 Notes: Played in six PGA Tour events, making one cut with one top-10. Played in 18 PGA Tour Champions Tour events with two top-10 finishes. At the Honda Classic, Singh played in the final group on Sunday at 56 years old, looking to supplant Sam Snead as the oldest winner in PGA Tour history. Shot a 70 to finish alone in 6th place, three strokes behind winner Keith Mitchell. The performance marked Singh's first top-10 on the PGA Tour since finishing 2nd at the 2016 Quicken Loans National. On PGA Tour Champions, finished T-2nd at the Bass Pro Shops Legends with partner Carlos Franco. Was T-7th at the Insperity Invitational. On PGA Tour Champions, he finished 43rd on the money list.
2020 Notes: Played in eight PGA Tour events and only finished 72 holes once, T-62nd at The Memorial. Placed 29th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai to start the year on PGA Tour Champions. Was T-5th at the Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge, a stroke out of the Bertsch/Day/Langer/Perry playoff. Finished 3rd at the SAS Championship, two shots behind winner Ernie Els. Was T-10th at the TimberTech Championship. With his son, Qass finished runner-up at the PNC Championship.
2021 Notes: Played in 33 PGA Tour Champions events in the 2020/21 season with five top-ten finishes. Played in only four PGA Tour events, withdrew at the November Masters after the first round, and missed the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Honda Classic, and Masters. Was T-7th at the Ally Challenge and T-9th at the Ascension Charity Classic.
2022 Notes: Played in 17 PGA Tour Champions events with two top-ten finishes. Was T-3rd at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai a shot back of the Jimenez/Alker playoff. T-4th at Dick's Sporting Goods, four shots back of winner Padraig Harrington. Missed the cut at the Masters. Singh and his son Qass, on their 16th attempt, finally won the PNC Championship.
2023 Notes: Played in 23 PGA Tour Champions events with eight top-ten finishes. Was T-5th at The Galleri Classic, six shots back of winner David Toms. Was 3rd at the Senior Open Championship, two shots from the Alex Cejka/Padraig Harrington playoff at Royal Porthcawl. Won the Ally Challenge by a shot over Jeff Maggert. Finished the season T-4th at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and finished 13th in the Shwab Rankings.
2024 Notes: T-16th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.