Vijay Singh, the legendary Fijian golfer and former world No. He began by bogeying the first three holes on Friday. As he drove through the heavily Democrat Maryland suburbs that constitute his new home base, he was forced to immediately recalibrate his strategy. Even after his rough beginning, Singh fought his way back into contention. He was suddenly tied for the lead, going head-to-head with big names such as Stuart Cink, Justin Leonard and Richard Bland, all at three under par.
Singh, a 62-year-old veteran of the sport, was undeterred by the early misfire and spoke with confidence about his capabilities. Not to mention that he’s had success at this very course over the years, including a stunning victory in the 1997 U.S. Open. Looking back on his experiences, he remarked, “I’ve always enjoyed playing here.” He noted how much else about the course has changed since his last appearances there.
In recent years, Singh has dramatically reduced his practice regimen, now putting in only half the time he tended to practice in his prime years. Nevertheless, he remains single-minded on realizing his first career win at this track. He accepted the complexities of the course’s design, especially the tree-lined sections where the patterns of wind can change constantly. “You get down in the tree lines and you can’t feel the wind, and then you walk 200 yards and it’s blowing like crazy,” he remarked.
After a frustrating T-77 finish at Congressional, and missing the cut in Tiger Woods’ 2014 tournament, Singh’s desire to thrive has been toughened. Far from discouraged, he’s now more motivated than ever to step up his game. He mentioned his approach to the game now involves fewer practice swings: “Once I get on the range and hit, it used to be I’d go out there and hit five, six good shots and I’d say, ‘OK, let’s see if I can do 20 of these ones.’ But now if I hit two or three good shots, I say, ‘I’ve had enough, that’s it.’”
Art and social commentary aside, there’s a touch of superstition that Singh would encourage you to adopt, specifically when it comes to your practice habits. “But I’ve played long enough to know that there’s a lot of golf out there,” he stated, highlighting his extensive experience and strategic mindset.
If he makes it through the tournament, Singh’s emotional resiliency and outstanding history at Congressional will help decide how well he does. His goal is to build on what he’s learned from the past, while charting a course through the obstacles created by not only the course itself, but his opponents.
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