Vijay Singh, who for several years was Tiger Woods‘ great rival, became a differential player, especially past the middle of his career. However, it is true that his performance in the Sony Open this week is remarkable for such a veteran player. At 62 years of age, the Fijian has become the oldest golfer to make a cut in a regular PGA Tour tournament, although Fred Couples holds the record as he did so at the age of 63 at the 2023 Masters.
To put it in context, Singh had been a regular player on the PGA Tour Champions – the over-50s circuit – for more than a decade. This year he opted to use the special exemption he enjoys through the career earnings list on the PGA Tour. He led the Tour in this category three times and is sixth on the all-time list with more than $71 million. The Oceanic golfer has used a rather peculiar exemption that is a kind of golden ticket.This allows players who have lost their status on the Tour, but who are among the 50 highest earning players of all time, to regain full membership for the season of their choice.
In this way, Vijay has returned to the regular circuit in 2026, from which he was totally out since 2017. He has continued to play the Masters at Augusta, but it was already a long time away from the top flight. This course to which he does not have access in principle is to the designated tournaments, but it seems that he is determined to test himself against this generation.
The Fijian made his PGA debut at the 1992 Memorial at the age of 29, when George Bush Sr. was still president of the United States. He recorded 34 victories, 28 runner-up finishes and an astonishing cut percentage of almost 80% in 648 tournaments
It is worth noting that the three-time major winner did not even look physically comfortable this week during the two rounds played at Waialae Country Club in Hawaii, as he has been struggling with back problems in recent times. In any case, he shot 68 on Thursday and 70 on Friday to make the cut with 138 (-2) in 45th place, silencing those who thought he was depriving younger golfers of a place in tournaments. Players such as Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley and Tony Finau missed the cut.
Singh’s average drive in 2025 in the Champions was 292.4 yards, which put him in 16th place among the veterans. This week he is 283.10 yards and ranks 71st in the tournament, so it’s not that bad.
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