Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh (born 22 February 1963) is a professional golfer from Fiji. He turned pro in 1982 and started out on the Asia Golf Circuit, but his early years were marked by controversy. Accused of multiple rule infractions, he was banned from the circuit. He then moved to Africa and Europe, finding success on the Safari Circuit and the European Tour, winning several events on both.

In 1993, he won the PGA Tour’s Buick Classic, which earned him a tour card and the Rookie of the Year award. He claimed his first major title at the 1998 PGA Championship, followed by the Masters in 2000. In 2004, Singh delivered one of golf’s greatest seasons, winning nine tournaments—including the PGA Championship—and surpassing Tiger Woods to become the world’s number one. Singh is an Indo-Fijian Hindu, born in Lautoka, Fiji, and raised in Nadi.

His father, Mohan Singh, was an airplane technician who also taught golf. He has a brother, Krishna, who also became a professional golfer. As a child, Singh recalled, they couldn’t afford golf balls and used coconuts instead. His father would say, “Little Vijay, golf balls don’t fall off trees you know,” so he found some that did.

He played snooker, cricket, football, and rugby—Fiji’s most popular sport. He modeled his early swing after Tom Weiskopf, whose technique he admired.

Singh turned professional in 1982 and won the 1984 Malaysian PGA Championship. Two years later, his career hit a crisis when he was suspended from the Asia Golf Circuit in 1985 for allegedly doctoring his scorecard—changing a one-over to a one-under to make the cut. Singh denied this, arguing it should have only led to disqualification, not a ban. After an investigation confirmed the violation and other alleged infractions, Asian PGA Tour president John Bender issued Singh a lifetime ban from the tour.

Singh believed he was treated more harshly because his marker was “the son of a VIP in the Indonesian PGA.” He then worked at the Keningau Club in Sabah, Malaysia, and later at the Miri Golf Club in Sarawak, a difficult period that nonetheless built his experience. European Tour Singh saved enough money to restart his career. In 1988, he partnered with sponsor Red Baron to fund a trip to Africa for the now-defunct Safari Circuit, an offshoot of the European Tour.

He won his first event, the 1988 Nigerian Open, to loud local cheers. That year, he succeeded at European Tour Qualifying School on his second attempt. In 1989, he won his first European Tour title at the Volvo Open Championship in Italy and finished 24th on the Order of Merit, leaving his early struggles behind. He won four times that year: the Volvo Open di Firenze, Ivory Coast Open, Nigerian Open, and Zimbabwe Open, and tied for 23rd at The Open Championship.

He added European Tour wins in 1990 and two in 1992, along with several victories in Asia and Africa. PGA Tour Singh earned PGA Tour membership in 1993 by winning the Buick Classic in a playoff against Mark Wiebe, which also earned him the 1993 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. After back and neck problems in 1994, he returned to win the Buick Classic again in 1995, plus the Phoenix Open. Following a winless but solid 1996, he won the Memorial Tournament and the Buick Open in 1997.

In 1998, he captured his first major at the PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club, shooting 70-66-67-68 (the 66 tied a course record). He then won the Masters in 2000 by three strokes over Ernie Els. In 2001, he had no wins but led the tour with 14 top-10 finishes and earned $3,440,829, finishing fourth on the money list. In 2002, he won the Shell Houston Open with a tournament-record 266 and the Tour Championship by two strokes over Charles Howell III.

The 2003 season was highly successful: four wins, 18 top-10 finishes, and a tour-leading $7,573,907 (the second-highest single-season total in PGA Tour history), beating Tiger Woods by $900,494 despite playing 27 tournaments to Woods’ 18. He also tied a nine-hole scoring record at the U.S. Open with a 29 on the back nine of his second round. His wins came at the Phoenix Open, EDS Byron Nelson Championship, John Deere Classic, and FUNAI Classic. He narrowly lost the PGA of America’s Player of the Year vote to Woods.

That year also brought controversy: Singh was misquoted as saying Annika Sörenstam “didn’t belong” on the men’s tour and that he wouldn’t play if paired with her. He clarified that his playing partner came from the past champion’s pool, adding, “There are guys out there trying to make a living. It’s not a ladies’ tour.