Good News - Vijay Singh not in Bob Hope Chrysler Classic field

I’m glad Vijay isn’t in the field this week at the Bob Hope. During almost every golf tournament in which Vijay Singh plays, the T.V. audience is forced to hear the same rambling about his stringent practice routine. “Well, David,” says the typical commentator, “nobody works harder than this guy.”

I don’t know about everyone else, but I don’t care what Vijay Singh does in his spare time. I don’t find it extraordinary that he spends that much time practicing, because that’s what I would love to be doing with my day (not to mention that I would be a little more interesting and engaging than Vijay if I were that good).

Another reason that I don’t really care about his practice routine is that he doesn’t seem to be enjoying making his living. It actually bothers me when he takes such a business like approach to the game, as if he has forgotten what it is - a game. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying practice is useless, and I’m not saying Vijay isn’t an amazing player because of talent and hard work. All I’m saying is that for an avid golfer and a huge fan of the PGA Tour, there are more interesting stories out there that are more relevant to amateurs.

The most interesting story to me, although I only see him once or twice a year, involves Carlos Franco. What does he do? Does he go hit thousands of balls to groove his swing? Does he study his position at the top before he goes to bed at night? No. He comes to the course, stretches, and steps onto the first tee. His reasons for this “abnormal” behavior are simple - he doesn’t like to practice. Now that’s news. I know a lot of these guys practice relentlessly. I know a lot of these guys have personal trainers and dieticians. Big deal. I want to know about the guys who do what amateurs do, but still play at such an unbelievably high level. Why do you think John Daly is so popular? Because he’s a lot more like your average amateur golfer than he is a PGA Tour player. The same can be said about Jason Gore, who is quickly becoming a cleaned-up version of the longhaired, drinking, smoking, gambling 90’s icon we all grew to love in Daly.

People gravitate towards those to whom they can relate, and for most Americans watching the PGA Tour, it is a lot easier to relate to Franco, Daly, and Gore than Singh. The next time I turn on the T.V., I don’t want to see tips about how Vijay practices, or how Charles Howe has been learning from David Leadbetter since he was 16. I’d rather see a story about how Carlos Franco (who grew up playing barefoot golf in Paraguay) can roll out of bed, throw on a shirt, do a few stretches, and go out and win the B.C. Open. That’s news, because that’s what so many amateurs who despise hitting range balls dream of doing someday.