Golf

Singh keeps workin' it

PGA star Vijay Singh

By BOB HARIG
Published January 9, 2007

He was 43 and had dropped from No. 1 to No. 7 in the world. He won just once, missed cuts at the British Open and PGA Championship, and let a third-round lead slip away to Tiger Woods at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Vijay Singh left the Innisbrook Resort in October after tying for 19th and headed to his World Golf Hall of Fame induction in St. Augustine. "It was a tough year," Singh said. "I thought I played better than what I did. But the scoring didn't show, I had trouble with my driver. ... The good thing is I'm fresh and I'm really looking forward to the season. I've worked very, very hard on both my golf swing and my physical side."

Search still on for Innisbrook sponsor

Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, asked in Hawaii about the event formerly known as the Chrysler Championship, which is still without a title sponsor: "We are in conversations with a sponsor right now, and we fully anticipate Tampa will be sponsored." Will it be in place in time for the March 8-11 event at Innisbrook? "We will have more to say about that in a couple of weeks."

In addition to trying to find a title sponsor, tournament director Gerald Goodman has had to deal with a quick turnaround: "We are embarking on something that no PGA Tour event has ever had to do. We're turning this around in 17 weeks from our last event. ... There are potential title sponsors we are talking to right now. Hopefully we can get one on board before the tournament."

Revealing his coordinates

Will MacKenzie quit golf as a teenager so he could sleep in his van and pursue things such as surfing, snowboarding, kayaking and mountain climbing. The golf bug returned, and MacKenzie, 32, won the Reno-Tahoe Open last year to qualify for the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

While being interviewed by the Golf Channel, he made a "rookie mistake." Asked if he was sleeping at the Ritz-Carlton or in his van, MacKenzie said he was at the Ritz - and then gave his room number.

Uh-oh. Messages piled up, and the phone never stopped ringing.

"I want to thank everyone who called me from wherever," he said. "I really appreciate that. ... I got a lot of calls and a lot of support, but I had to turn my phone off because I didn't want to get woken up at night."

By the numbers

Adam Scott moved to third in the Official World Golf Ranking, ahead of Phil Mickelson and behind No. 1 Tiger Woods and No. 2 Jim Furyk. Singh jumped from seventh to fifth. ... The tour moves to Honolulu and the Sony Open this week, the first full-field event of the season. The field includes 16 of last year's top 20 money winners, including defending champion David Toms. Michelle Wie, 17, will try again to make a cut for the first time in a PGA Tour event.

Singh didn't slack off between short seasons. He sandwiched morning and evening workouts around the driving range, spending five hours hitting some 400 balls per day.

"You hear about his work ethic," said Adam Scott, who finished second to Singh at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship Sunday. "But you don't realize until you see him four or five times hitting balls after dark."

Singh's 30th victory of his PGA Tour and 18th since turning 40 makes you wonder what might have been. A native of Fiji, he played all over the world but didn't become a tour member until he was 30.

His win in Hawaii tied him for 16th. Next on the list: Harry Cooper and Jimmy Demaret with 31.

Top PGA winners

82 Sam Snead

73 Jack Nicklaus

64 Ben Hogan

62 Arnold Palmer

54 Tiger Woods

52 Byron Nelson

51 Billy Casper

45 Walter Hagen

40 Cary Middlecoff

39 Gene Sarazen Tom Watson

36 Lloyd Mangrum

32 Horton Smith

31 Harry Cooper Jimmy Demaret

30 Leo Diegel Vijay Singh

[Last modified January 9, 2007, 06:05:48]