Mercedes Benz Championship round two: Vijay Singh defies the elements

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And they don’t come much tougher than Vijay Singh. We know he never stops practising, but it looks as though he put in an extra effort over Christmas to get himself both mentally and physically in shape for the new season. Vijay hardly looked in danger of a bogey until the last Friday and his recovery shot from the rough there doesn’t just speak of a player on top form but one who has his mind sharply focussed on the task in hand.

It could come down to stamina. By all accounts Friday’s wind and rain made for a pretty gruelling day - almost unplayable at times according to Singh - and there’s no sign of much of a letup.

Two successive rounds of four under in these conditions suggests a man with a big point to make. But a one-shot lead doesn’t quite hammer it home and those foolhardy enough to postpone sleep could be in for a very interesting weekend. J B Holmes bombed the wide open spaces to record Friday’s best round along with Trevor Immelman, even though he was having problems simply staying standing, while Will MacKenzie is clearly lapping up the limelight.

For all that he has been moaning about his game, Adam Scott seems to have rediscovered it at Kapalua - his four under Friday marks him out as a danger even if he is still four shots behind. A case of practise makes perfect, you might say, although this is clearly not the case for Rory Sabbatini, whose five over Friday suggests he might have over done it. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer man.

And as for Stuart Appleby - I thought he loved the wind?