Singh Signs On for Malaysian Return

Vijay Singh is the hottest player in the world right now. He would be the prize drawcard for any tournament, anywhere on the globe.

Singh, though, is looking forward to going back to his roots, which is why he has signed on for the Johor Open in Malaysia this October.

The FedEx Cup leader and three-time major champion has always had an affinity with Malaysia and the Asian Tour.

Malaysia is where he used to practice his golf skills and is also where his wife is from. He is an honorary member of the Asian Tour and won the 2001 Malaysia Open by beating Padraig Harrington in a play-off.

And if that is not enough, the Royal Johor Country Club venue for the tournament in the country’s southern-most city of Johor Bahru is where Singh was based during the 80s.

The Asian Tour has been in need of a boost this season, and they timed the news of Singh’s participation in Johor nicely, coinciding with his victory at The Barclays two weeks ago for the first of his two straight FedEx Cup Series triumphs.

The following week, he won the Deutsche Bank Championship, continuing his amazing form in the latter part of the season.

The world number five, who once dethroned Tiger Woods at the top of the rankings, goes into this week’s third event, the BMW Championships in Missouri, with a sizeable lead over his rivals.

Only Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Canada’s Mike Weir have a chance to catch him, but they will need major efforts over the final two tournaments if they want the winner-takes-all $10 million prize.

Singh has compiled 120,500 points with Garcia second on 108,275 and Weir third on 106,965. Justin Leonard and Jim Furyk complete the top five.

The first round of the tournament at the Bellerive Country Club in St Louis was a complete washout with 36 holes scheduled for Saturday.

The venue is hosting a PGA Tour event for the first time since 2001, when a WGC tournament was cancelled because of the September 11 attacks on New York’s Twin Towers.


Leave a Reply