Vijay Singh red hot with new putter

Vijay Singh's decision to return to a conventional putter a fortnight ago paved the way for his strong performance in the first two rounds of this week's U.S. PGA Championship.

The Fijian world number three, who previously used a belly putter, fired a four-under-par 68 at Whistling Straits on Friday to join American Justin Leonard in a tie for the halfway lead at nine-under 135.

"I feel like my game is coming around because my putting is improved. I enjoy putting now, although I'm surprised that I'm putting so well," the twice major winner told reporters after taking 32 putts in the second round.

The 41-year-old Singh believes erratic putting has cost him the chance of adding further major titles to his 1998 U.S. PGA Championship and his 2000 U.S. Masters crown.

"I've been in position to win majors a lot of times but I just have not finished the job yet," he said. "Not because I wasn't playing well but I think my putting was a big factor.

"At the British Open, I played a great weekend but I putted probably the worst I've putted for a long, long time.

"That's why I changed putters, to try to improve that part of my game."

Singh tied for 20th in last month's British Open at Royal Troon following scores of 68, 70, 76 and 71.

The tall Fijian, who ended Tiger Woods's four-year reign as the PGA Tour's leading money winner in 2003, is determined to make the most of his opportunity this week.

"Not winning (a major) from 2000, obviously I'm disappointed, but there's always the next one," he said. "This is another good opportunity right here.

"I don't think it is as important to me (winning majors) as Ernie (Els) and Tiger. I go out there and I try my hardest. If I win, that's fine. It's still a game to me.

"But it's not that I don't care about winning a major. I do."

Singh relished playing alongside world number one Woods and American John Daly in the first two rounds.

"That was a great day," he said after reeling off six birdies and two bogeys on Friday.

"I always enjoy playing with John Daly and it's always nice to play in Tiger's company. It's pretty intense there.

"The wind was blowing when we started off and I didn't want to move away from the lead too much. And then everybody kind of started coming back to us.

"But I kept my head and I played well the first nine, kept the ball in play," added the Fijian, who picked up shots at two, four and five.

"Then the wind died and the way I was driving the ball today, I felt like I could birdie a lot of holes coming in."

He did. Birdies at 10, 12 and 16, sandwiched around a bogey-five at the 15th, lifted him into a share of the lead.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page