An unimpressed Vijay Singh appeared nonchalant after passing Sam Snead’s record of wins accrued after hitting the big 4-0.
“To pass (Snead’s) record after 40 really doesn’t mean much,” Singh bellowed while focusing on his own win after the Mercedes-Benz Championship. “There’s no trophies for doing it. It’s not even a record, it’s just numbers.”
What type of numbers, in Vijay’s opinion, constitute a “record"?
Singh appeared more interested in tooting his own horn than in paying homage to one of golf’s true legends.
“Coming from Fiji, it’s not easy to do what I’ve done in my career. It’s a miracle winning one golf tournament.”
Even Fred Funk got caught in the crossfire during Vijay’s ranting.
“Fred Funk won a tournament when he was 48, and I’m a lot bigger and stronger than Fred, so if he can win at 48, what makes you think I’m not going to win at 50″, added a pompous Singh who may be feeling Father Time breathing down his neck.
Vijay Singh’s next attempt to break a record (that doesn’t mean all that much) might be one set by rival Tiger Woods. Singh is right behind the number-one golfer on the PGA Tour in career earnings with this week’s million-dollar victory.
They won’t just be “numbers” if you can pull off that little miracle, will they Vijay?
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For starter, after his win, the records he set or broke:
- First golfer to win a PGA event in 2007
- First Fijian golfer to win a PGA event in 2007
- First Florida resident to win a PGA event in 2007
- First golfer to win at 43 years old and X months and Y days
- Most win in 2007
- First over 6 feet tall golfer to win PGA event in 2007
- First PGA winner after the passing of Gerald Ford
- Etc....
As you can see, the 'records' can go on and on....
It's possible to twist practically anything into something negative,
but you really go out of your way here. Vijay was funny, honest,
and extremely normal. He's not some silly, plastic, don't-offend-
anyone-don't-say-anything type like Michael Jordan or Tiger
Woods. He doesn't have the ridiculous in-front-of-camera-fakeness
of Michelson and he does not try to cater to a demographic.
Of course it's a silly record - completely arbitrary. Did you read the
full article, and how eloquent he was about Sam Snead and his
beautiful swing? Do you know that Vijay absolutely reveres Snead
and had read all of his books as a poor golfer in Fiji? To say he
snubs Snead is about the most opposite to what he was trying to
say and what he feels as you can possibly get. All he meant was
that his age doesn't matter. It's winning that counts.
And yes, winning a tournament on the PGA tour is an amazing
accomplishment when you come from somewhere like Fiji!!
He was being modest! He was trying to say how fantastic it
was just to win a damn tour event, and what an impossible
dream that alone was..do you have any idea how many
people in the third world and other poor countries will never
even get to see a golf course, much less walk on it, much less
play on it, much less reach some international standard of
excellence?? If anything, his genuineness and respect for
the game shine in that one simple sentence. You will just never
see it, you seem far too prejudiced.
And good grief, if you think he was also dumping on Freddy Funk,
you really should get your head out of your backend. Did you
even read the article AT ALL?? He was talking about not imposing
unnecessary limitations on oneself, and expecting to win if he was
fit, that age is not a limitation!
I like Tiger, I like Phil, I like a lot of players on Tour. More than any
of them, I respect Vijay for what he's accomplished, for his simple,
shining love for the game. For his blue-collar work ethic, for his
devotion to what he cares about. Just golf. It's very simple. He's
not pretty, he's not young, he's not charismatic and TV-friendly.
No Tiger Woods-like sex appeal, no white folk hero status like
Phil, he of the slick marketing glitz.
They will never know how far he had to come, and all the subtle
sneering (yes, he works hard, but it's always a snide remark
when it's about Vijay, complimentary if it's Tiger or someone) he
has had to endure.
It's just sickening, the racism, the prejudice, the hatred, the
intolerance, the injustice, the bitter carping, the mean, whiny
undercutting of his talent. Give me a break. The rest of the
planet could practice twice as hard and never be anywhere
near as good.
Vijay is a great golfer, and a simple human being.
Lay off the bile. We're sick of it.
I watched the Golf Channel coverage that showed his interviews and Frank Nobilo specifically compared Vijay's swing with Sam Snead's, mentioned that Vijay had a bunch of Sam Snead books in his library and held him in high regard. None of Vijay's comments during the interview came across as dismissive of Golf history or it legends.
Either you didn't do even minimal homework to check your perception (incompetence) or didn't care what the facts were (dishonesty). Take your pick. Hope you can live with yourself.
It is sleazy folks like you that give journalists a bad name. Hope the management of worldgolf.com is listening. Pls get writers with integrity for your website.
Let's see you hit the golf ball a hundred years(in any direction :) ) at whatever your age is...
You forgot one.
The only player to knock Tigger out of number one ranking.
And, to Anonymous, I am not racist nor intolerant nor have I said that the man doesn't have any talent. You should re-read the blog.
Vijay was just trying to blow off the fact that his next big birthday is 50 (Champion's Tour) and trying to ignore the fact that 40, being the entrance to middle age, is no longer 25.
It's really all about age denial.
It is about age denial. He obviously hates the fact that at 43 and beyond, the world generally looks at you as a has-been. Records based on age are a dubious distinction at best. I mean who really wants to be the oldest man to climb Everest, or the oldest woman to have a baby, or the winner of the most X events after the age of... some big number. I'm inclined to think that most would gladly relinquish the record for their lost youth. Vij is reacting to that I think, in his normal visceral way.
As for your blog, I think it's great that you said what lots of people feel about Vijay. Hell, if you can't write what you feel what's the point.
Additionally, they can remind VJ that she is a part time profesional who never won, and who never made the cut in a men's events.
Now that would really tick him off....
Australian Tour for not paying a hotel bill at a tournament site. When Vijay's
hard work wasn't paying off he acted with no honor. He should learn to
keep his mouth shut and be happy that the PGA Tour allows foreigners to
come and play.
One correction: Bubbles hasn't made anywhere close to what Singh has on the golf course.
Mind your own biz-wax and back off...Booger is my be-yotch...I am the only one allowed to ride his arse....
When you were young. Did you:
- wet your bed till teen
- torture animals
- get abused by your uncles and aunts
Do you currently:
-own a white mini van
-live alone
-own a tool set and handy with them
Make sure to pen a new hatchet job piece about Vijay after his win today at Arnold Palmer's tournament. In an interview with Jimmy Roberts immediately he finished on 18, Vijay talked about what an honor it was to win first Jack's tournament (the Memorial), and now Arnie's. He then joked about how he loved the course, except for th 18th hole, which he said probably cost him two tournaments. Please feel free to manipulate his words into a riveting piece about how Vijay hates the entire course and wants to break Arnold Palmer's hip.
You're a beacon of inspiration to journalists everywhere.