Vijay Singh bristled a bit after the final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii last January when asked if he was making any immediate plans to join the senior circuit.
Just 40 days shy of his 50th birthday, the man who proved life on the PGA Tour needn’t end in your 30s, believed he still belonged with the best in the game.
Granted, on some days he did. Just not often enough to reclaim the card only 125 men have in a world full of hackers and wannabes. Singh’s tie for 20th at the Sony Open was his only top-25 finish. He played in 19 tour events, missed the cut in seven and earned $309,351.
Sounds pretty good by most standards, doesn’t it? But when you’ve pocketed $67.58 million in career tour earnings, you know it’s not good enough, these days. Singh’s FedEx Cup ranking of 146 left him out of the playoffs that conclude this weekend in Georgia with the Tour Championship.
You can bet that eight months back, the man who often calls the Big Island home had penciled in some kind of FedEx Cup run. Maybe not all the way to the East Lake Golf Club, but if he put together four good rounds somewhere along the way, who knows?
Instead, Singh, now ranked 179th on the globe, will make his Champions Tour debut today at the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship on a golf course tucked away in West Oahu. Not a bad consolation prize for "The Big Fijian," who isn’t sure how many senior events he will compete in the rest of the way.
As for the 54-hole event at Kapolei Golf Club, that was an easy choice for Singh.
"I was already in Hawaii," Singh told a Champions Tour official. "I knew I was going to be in Hawaii if I wasn’t in the (PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup) playoffs. That made it pretty easy."
Rookies have had their way with their fellow seniors for a good deal of 2013. The freshman class has won a record four tournaments in a row and seven overall. Will Singh make it five straight come Sunday? If so, he’ll need to make some adjustments without really knowing the landscape.
"I watched (the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship) last year on television." Singh said. "I know the wind blows here and these greens are paspalum.
"The last time I played paspalum greens was at Kiawah Island for last year’s PGA Championship. I don’t think either tour plays paspalum greens very much. It takes a little bit of getting used to, which is why I (played) two pro-am rounds this week."
One thing the new guys learn is the 50-and-over crowd has to work hard to stay game-ready. Many a star of the past quickly learned this isn’t a weekend excursion at the Putt-Putt. You better have your game locked down tight if you want to win.
But Vijay? Well, nobody can pound away at the practice range like him. But even he has a limit.
"I’ve been working out a little bit but I’m taking it easy right now," Singh said. "My body was very tired after this year on the PGA Tour. I’ve taken a break and have spent time with my son, Quass, helping him with his game. I started practicing again last week so hopefully it’s all together. I’ve not played an event since the Wyndham Championship (in mid-August)."
One thing Singh doesn’t have to worry about is making the cut. But playing 18 fewer holes means one big thing. You’ve got to aim at the pin.
"You can be aggressive from the opening shot," Singh said. "People say that it’s a sprint out on the Champions Tour because of the three rounds vs. four. I really don’t think so. I just think you need to be consistent enough and play your game and not worry what else is going on.
"If you play good enough, it will take care of itself. Every tournament you go to, someone’s going to have a hot week and you just have to not worry about that. I’ve played enough tournaments to realize it’s not a one-rounder."
And those future plans?
"I’m thinking about playing a few more (Champions Tour events)," Singh said. "I’m focused right now on this week so we will see what happens."
Sony, Hawaiian opens well-represented
Singh is just one of several past Sony Open and United Airlines Hawaiian Open winners taking part in this week’s event.
Joining the 2005 champion are fellow Sony winners Brad Faxon (2001) and Jeff Sluman (1999). Dialing it back even further are 1992 Hawaiian Open winner John Cook, who finished first in the opening senior event at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, and David Ishii (1990), who qualified for the event Monday.
Fans can also watch past Hawaiian Open champions Gene Sauers (1989), Corey Pavin (1986-87), Mark O’Meara (1985), Isao Aoki (1983) and Hale Irwin (1981), who at last count has won $4,437,620 in the Aloha State.
CBS broadcasters step out of the booth
Well, we know they talk the talk, but this week, they’ve got to walk the walk. TV broadcasters Ian Baker-Finch, Gary McCord and Bobby Clampett step out of the booth and into the tournament.
For Baker-Finch, this is only his second senior appearance in a stroke-play event. He finished 78th at the Toshiba Classic in 2011, some 31 strokes off the pace of winner Nick Price.
Fellow CBS analysts Clampett and McCord get out a little more often. Clampett has teed it up 13 times and has earned $199,697 with two top 10s. For McCord, this will be his second event. He earned $753 at the Toshiba Classic in March. At this event in 2012, McCord tied for 72nd, pocketing $1,233.
