Golf

Singh deserving, but is Hall of Fame berth premature?

By BOB HARIG
Published April 21, 2005

Vijay Singh's story might be one of the best to ever grace the walls of the Hall of Fame.

He grew up on a golf course that bordered an airport in Fiji. He supplemented his income as a bouncer after bouncing around various world tours. He was 30 when he finally made it to the PGA Tour.

And yet, as impressive as his credentials are today, as deserving as Singh is of the honor, it is a bit strange to consider him a Hall of Famer. At least right now.

Imagine Roger Clemens in the baseball Hall of Fame while still striking out batters. Or Peyton Manning in the Pro Football Hall of Fame while still throwing touchdown passes.

That is the scenario for Singh.

Wednesday he was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, becoming, at 42, the youngest male player so honored. (LPGA members meet performance-based criteria and are not voted in.)

Singh is the second-ranked player in the world, coming off a nine-victory season in 2004 that included his third major championship. He just finished in the top 10 at the Masters, has a victory this year in Hawaii, and close calls at the Mercedes Championship, Doral, Honda and Bay Hill.

He is as good as ever, with the chance to add numerous titles.

"I am proud that at the age of 42, I'm on the top of my game," said Singh in Houston, where he begins defense of his Houston Open title today. "Normally, guys at this age are considered over the hill. This is where we all want to be. This is where I want to be, in the position I'm in now. This is the most comfortable I've been."

More than likely, they will have to keep updating his bio at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine. Although Singh's credentials are not in question, he gained his Hall pass on a technicality. A player needs to receive 65 percent of the vote, but the Hall has a rule that allows the nominee receiving the most votes to be inducted, provided he is named on at least half of the ballots. Singh received 56 percent of the votes.

Larry Nelson, who won 10 PGA Tour titles including three majors, and has added another 19 Champions Tour titles, was named on 55 percent of the ballots.

LONG DRIVING: Brittany Lincicome's LPGA Tour career is in its infancy, but already there are many signs she belongs. Lincicome, 19, from Seminole, leads the tour in driving distance, averaging 278.7 yards. Although her driving accuracy is not the best (65.1 percent, 91st), it hasn't kept her from hitting greens. She is 16th in greens in regulation at 69.1.

The bottom line, however, is getting the ball in the hole, and Lincicome's scoring average of 74.18 is only 91st. She has made two cuts in four events and has earned $20,422, with her best finish a tie for 20th at the Safeway International. Lincicome missed the cut last week in Las Vegas and is not playing in this week's tournament in Mexico.

THE FIRST TEE: St. Petersburg's city-owned courses - Mangrove Bay, Twin Brooks and Cypress Links - are set to become the latest chapters of the First Tee program, a nationwide initiative designed to give youngsters of every background exposure to golf as well as life skills.

The program will not likely kick off formally until this summer, said Jeff Hollis, golf courses director for the city.

"The beauty of our situation is we've already got a really good successful junior program in place," Hollis said. "And we've got facilities. We're pretty much already doing what the First Tee does. ... As we get more immersed in it, we will be getting more of the First Tee curriculum in."

The First Tee has 163 chapters and more than 200 facilities across the country, including 12 in Florida. Other area First Tee facilities are the First Tee of Tampa Bay at Terrace Hill Golf Club, the First Tee of Clearwater at Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Club, and the First Tee of Brooksville at Quarry Golf Course.

AROUND GOLF: Disney's Magnolia course, home for three of the four rounds of the Funai Classic, will close on May 9 to rebuild the greens and stretch the layout to 7,500 yards. It will be closed for four months. The tournament is Oct. 20-23, the week before the Chrysler Championship at Innisbrook. ... Five Champions Tour players competed on the regular tour at Hilton Head last week, and four made the cut: Peter Jacobsen (T25), Craig Stadler (T44), Jay Haas (T66) and Doug Tewell (73). Tom Kite was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

[Last modified April 21, 2005, 01:05:18]