Vijay Singh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vijay Singh CF विजय सिंह  (Fiji Hindi)
Singh in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Vijay Singh
Nickname	The Big Fijian
Born	(1963-02-22) 22 February 1963 (age 62) Lautoka, Viti Levu, British Fiji (present-day Fiji)
Height	6 ft 2 in
Weight	208 lb (94 kg; 14.9 st)
Nationality	Fiji
Residence	Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, U.S.
Spouse	Ardena Seth ​ (m. 1985)​
Children	1
Career
Turned professional	1982
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour PGA Tour Champions European Senior Tour
Former tour(s)	European Tour Asian Tour
Professional wins	66
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	34
European Tour	13
Asian Tour	5
Sunshine Tour	2
Champions Tour	5
Other	14
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 3)
The Masters Tournament	Won: 2000
U.S. Open	T3: 1999
The Open Championship	T2: 2003
PGA Championship	Won: 1998, 2004
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	2005/2006
PGA Tour Rookie of the Year	1993
PGA Tour money list winner	2003, 2004, 2008
PGA Tour Player of the Year	2004
PGA Player of the Year	2004
Byron Nelson Award	2004
Vardon Trophy	2004
European Tour Golfer of the Year	2004
PGA Tour FedEx Cup winner	2008

Vijay Singh (born February 22, 1963) is a famous Fijian professional golfer. He became a professional golfer in 1982. He started playing on the Asia Golf Circuit.

Early in his career, Singh faced some challenges. He was suspended from the Asian Golf Circuit in 1985. This was due to issues with his scorecard. Singh denied intentionally changing his score. He said it should have only led to disqualification. After this, he played in Africa and Europe. He found great success there.

In 1993, Singh joined the PGA Tour. He won the Buick Classic and was named Rookie of the Year. He won his first major championship, the PGA Championship, in 1998. Two years later, he won the Masters. In 2004, Singh had an amazing year. He won nine tournaments, including another PGA Championship. He even became the number one golfer in the world, taking the spot from Tiger Woods.

Early Life and Golf Beginnings

Vijay Singh grew up in Fiji. His father, Mohan Singh, was an airplane technician. He also taught golf. Vijay remembered his childhood, saying they used coconuts instead of golf balls. This was because they couldn't afford real ones.

As a kid, he played many sports. These included snooker, cricket, football, and rugby. He looked up to golfer Tom Weiskopf. He used Weiskopf's swing as a model for his own.

Professional Golf Journey

Starting in Asia

Singh became a professional golfer in 1982. Two years later, he won the 1984 Malaysian PGA Championship. However, in 1985, he was suspended from the Asia Golf Circuit. This was because of problems with his scorecard. Singh said he did not mean to cheat. He felt he was treated unfairly.

After this, he worked at golf clubs in Malaysia. This was a tough time for him. But he kept practicing and gaining experience.

Success in Europe

Singh saved money to restart his career. In 1988, he found a sponsor. This helped him play in Africa on the Safari Circuit. He won his first event there, the 1988 Nigerian Open. Later that year, he joined the European Tour.

In 1989, Singh won his first European Tour title. It was the Volvo Open Championship in Italy. He won four times that year. He also did well at The Open Championship. He continued to win on the European Tour in 1990 and 1992. He also won several tournaments in Asia and Africa.

Dominating the PGA Tour

Singh joined the PGA Tour in 1993. He won his first tournament, the Buick Classic. This earned him the 1993 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. He had some back and neck problems in 1994. But he came back strong in 1995. He won the Buick Classic again and the Phoenix Open. In 1997, he won the Memorial Tournament and the Buick Open.

In 1998, Singh won his first major. It was the PGA Championship in Washington. He played very well and won by two strokes. In 2000, he won the Masters. He won by three strokes over Ernie Els.

Singh had a great year in 2003. He won four tournaments. He was the top money earner on the PGA Tour. He won over $7.5 million. This was more than Tiger Woods, even though Woods played fewer tournaments.

In 2004, Singh had one of the best seasons ever in golf. He won nine times. This included his third major, the PGA Championship. He won in a playoff against Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco. On September 6, 2004, he became the number one golfer in the world. He ended Tiger Woods' long streak at the top. Singh was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year.

In 2005, Singh briefly lost his number one ranking to Tiger Woods. But he quickly got it back. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2005. He was the youngest living person to be elected at that time. He was officially inducted in 2006.

In 2007, Singh won the Mercedes-Benz Championship. This was the first FedEx Cup event. He also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational. In 2008, Singh had another amazing year. He won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He then won two FedEx Cup playoff events. He won The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship. This helped him win the overall FedEx Cup title. He also won the PGA Tour money list for the third time.

Vijay Singh has won 34 times on the PGA Tour. This is the most wins by a non-American player. He has been ranked in the top 10 golfers for over 540 weeks. His many wins mean he can play on the PGA Tour for life.

In 2009, Singh had knee surgery. His performance was not as strong in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, he started to play better. He finished second in two tournaments. In 2013, Singh faced a misunderstanding about a substance he used. The PGA Tour later dropped its case against him. In 2018, the lawsuit was settled. The PGA Tour confirmed that Singh did not intend to cheat.

Singh at the 2010 PGA Championship

Senior Golf Career

In 2013, Singh started playing on the PGA Tour Champions. This is for older golfers. In 2017, he won his first senior event. He won the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf with Carlos Franco. In 2018, he won the Toshiba Classic. Later that year, he won a major senior tournament. It was the Constellation Senior Players Championship. He won in a playoff. In November 2018, he won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. This victory also helped him finish fourth in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup.

In March 2019, Singh played well at the Honda Classic. He finished sixth. In 2023, he won The Ally Challenge.

Singh at the 2015 PGA Championship

Personal Life

Vijay Singh is from Fiji. He is of Indian descent and practices Hinduism. He lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He is known for how much he practices. He often arrives hours early and stays late at tournaments. He works hard on his golf game.

Vijay has a brother named Krishna. He is also a professional golfer.

Media and Public Image

In 2003, there was a misunderstanding involving Singh. Golfer Annika Sörenstam was going to play in a PGA Tour event. Singh was misquoted as saying she "didn't belong." He later explained that he meant she would take a spot from a male player trying to make a living. He believed women should qualify like everyone else. The media focused on the negative quote.

After Singh won the Masters, his friend Ernie Els defended him. Els wrote an article saying, "Golf should be proud of Vijay Singh." He also said Singh is a "wonderful guy" and a "great competitor."

In 2005, Singh became a goodwill ambassador for Fiji. He spoke about improving relations between different groups of people in Fiji. He said everyone should live together peacefully.

Singh at a press conference in 2014

Awards and Achievements

• In 1993, Vijay Singh was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
• In 2006, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
• In 2008, he won the prestigious FedEx Cup.

Professional Wins

Vijay Singh has won 66 professional tournaments.

PGA Tour Wins (34)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	13 Jun 1993	Buick Classic	−4 (280)	Playoff	Mark Wiebe
2	29 Jan 1995	Phoenix Open	−15 (269)	Playoff	Billy Mayfair
3	21 May 1995	Buick Classic (2)	−6 (278)	Playoff	Doug Martin
4	2 Jun 1997	Memorial Tournament	−14 (202)*	2 strokes	Jim Furyk, Greg Norman
5	10 Aug 1997	Buick Open	−15 (273)	4 strokes	Tom Byrum, Russ Cochran, Ernie Els, Brad Fabel, Naomichi Ozaki, Curtis Strange
6	16 Aug 1998	PGA Championship	−9 (271)	2 strokes	Steve Stricker
7	23 Aug 1998	Sprint International	47 pts	6 points	Phil Mickelson, Willie Wood
8	14 Mar 1999	Honda Classic	−11 (277)	2 strokes	Payne Stewart
9	9 Apr 2000	Masters Tournament	−10 (278)	3 strokes	Ernie Els
10	31 Mar 2002	Shell Houston Open	−22 (266)	6 strokes	Darren Clarke
11	3 Nov 2002	The Tour Championship	−12 (268)	2 strokes	Charles Howell III
12	26 Jan 2003	Phoenix Open (2)	−23 (261)	3 strokes	John Huston
13	18 May 2003	EDS Byron Nelson Championship	−15 (265)	2 strokes	Nick Price
14	15 Sep 2003	John Deere Classic	−16 (268)	4 strokes	Jonathan Byrd, J. L. Lewis, Chris Riley
15	26 Oct 2003	Funai Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort	−23 (265)	4 strokes	Stewart Cink, Scott Verplank, Tiger Woods
16	8 Feb 2004	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	−16 (272)	3 strokes	Jeff Maggert
17	26 Apr 2004	Shell Houston Open (2)	−11 (277)	2 strokes	Scott Hoch
18	3 May 2004	HP Classic of New Orleans	−22 (266)	1 stroke	Phil Mickelson, Joe Ogilvie
19	1 Aug 2004	Buick Open (2)	−23 (265)	1 stroke	John Daly
20	15 Aug 2004	PGA Championship (2)	−8 (280)	Playoff	Chris DiMarco, Justin Leonard
21	6 Sep 2004	Deutsche Bank Championship	−16 (268)	3 strokes	Adam Scott, Tiger Woods
22	12 Sep 2004	Bell Canadian Open	−9 (275)	Playoff	Mike Weir
23	26 Sep 2004	84 Lumber Classic	−15 (273)	1 stroke	Stewart Cink
24	31 Oct 2004	Chrysler Championship	−18 (266)	5 strokes	Tommy Armour III, Jesper Parnevik
25	16 Jan 2005	Sony Open in Hawaii	−11 (269)	1 stroke	Ernie Els
26	24 Apr 2005	Shell Houston Open (3)	−13 (275)	Playoff	John Daly
27	8 May 2005	Wachovia Championship	−12 (276)	Playoff	Jim Furyk, Sergio García
28	31 Jul 2005	Buick Open (3)	−24 (264)	4 strokes	Zach Johnson, Tiger Woods
29	11 Jun 2006	Barclays Classic (3)	−10 (274)	2 strokes	Adam Scott
30	7 Jan 2007	Mercedes-Benz Championship	−14 (278)	2 strokes	Adam Scott
31	18 Mar 2007	Arnold Palmer Invitational	−8 (272)	2 strokes	Rocco Mediate
32	3 Aug 2008	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational	−10 (270)	1 stroke	Stuart Appleby, Lee Westwood
33	24 Aug 2008	The Barclays (4)	−8 (276)	Playoff	Sergio García, Kevin Sutherland
34	1 Sep 2008	Deutsche Bank Championship (2)	−22 (262)	5 strokes	Mike Weir

*Note: The 1997 Memorial Tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

PGA Tour Playoff Record (8–4)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1993	Buick Classic	Mark Wiebe	Won with birdie on third extra hole
2	1995	Phoenix Open	Billy Mayfair	Won with par on first extra hole
3	1995	Buick Classic	Doug Martin	Won with birdie on fifth extra hole
4	1998	The Tour Championship	Hal Sutton	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
5	2004	PGA Championship	Chris DiMarco, Justin Leonard	Won three-hole aggregate playoff
6	2004	Bell Canadian Open	Mike Weir	Won with par on third extra hole
7	2005	The Honda Classic	Pádraig Harrington, Joe Ogilvie	Harrington won with par on second extra hole
8	2005	Shell Houston Open	John Daly	Won with par on first extra hole
9	2005	Wachovia Championship	Jim Furyk, Sergio García	Won with par on fourth extra hole
10	2006	Mercedes Championships	Stuart Appleby	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
11	2008	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	Steve Lowery	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
12	2008	The Barclays	Sergio García, Kevin Sutherland	Won with birdie on second extra hole

European Tour Wins (13)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	2 Apr 1989	Volvo Open Championship	−12 (276)	3 strokes	Peter Fowler
2	8 Apr 1990	El Bosque Open	−10 (278)	2 strokes	Richard Boxall, Chris Williams
3	16 Feb 1992	Turespaña Masters Open de Andalucía	−11 (277)	2 strokes	Gary Evans
4	23 Aug 1992	Volvo German Open	−26 (262)	11 strokes	José Manuel Carriles
5	31 Jul 1994	Scandinavian Masters	−20 (268)	3 strokes	Mark McNulty
6	25 Sep 1994	Trophée Lancôme	−17 (263)	1 stroke	Miguel Ángel Jiménez
7	9 Feb 1997	South African Open1	−18 (270)	1 stroke	Nick Price
8	16 Aug 1998	PGA Championship	−9 (271)	2 strokes	Steve Stricker
9	9 Apr 2000	Masters Tournament	−10 (278)	3 strokes	Ernie Els
10	18 Feb 2001	Carlsberg Malaysian Open2	−14 (274)	Playoff	Pádraig Harrington
11	25 Feb 2001	Caltex Singapore Masters2	−21 (263)	2 strokes	Warren Bennett
12	15 Aug 2004	PGA Championship (2)	−8 (280)	Playoff	Chris DiMarco, Justin Leonard
13	3 Aug 2008	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational	−10 (270)	1 stroke	Stuart Appleby, Lee Westwood

¹Co-sanctioned by the Southern Africa Tour
²Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour

Asian Tour Wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	2 Sep 1995	Passport Open	−16 (272)	1 stroke	Jeev Milkha Singh
2	10 Sep 2000	Johnnie Walker Taiwan Open	−1 (287)	Playoff	Craig Kamps
3	18 Feb 2001	Carlsberg Malaysian Open1	−14 (274)	Playoff	Pádraig Harrington
4	25 Feb 2001	Caltex Singapore Masters1	−21 (263)	2 strokes	Warren Bennett
5	7 Oct 2007	Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open2	−6 (278)	2 strokes	Kim Kyung-tae, Yang Yong-eun

¹Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
²Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour

PGA Tour Champions Wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	23 Apr 2017	Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf (with Carlos Franco)	−15 (93)	1 stroke	Fred Funk and Jeff Sluman, Paul Goydos and Kevin Sutherland, Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldorf
2	11 Mar 2018	Toshiba Classic	−11 (202)	1 stroke	Scott McCarron, Tom Pernice Jr., Tommy Tolles
3	15 Jul 2018	Constellation Senior Players Championship	−20 (268)	Playoff	Jeff Maggert
4	11 Nov 2018	Charles Schwab Cup Championship	−22 (262)	4 strokes	Tim Petrovic
5	27 Aug 2023	The Ally Challenge	−14 (202)	1 stroke	Jeff Maggert

Major Championships

Wins (3)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1998	PGA Championship	Tied for lead	−9 (271)	2 strokes	Steve Stricker
2000	Masters Tournament	3 shot lead	−10 (278)	3 strokes	Ernie Els
2004	PGA Championship (2)	1 shot lead	−8 (280)	Playoff1	Chris DiMarco, Justin Leonard

¹Defeated Justin Leonard and Chris DiMarco in three-hole playoff.

Results Timeline

This table shows how Vijay Singh performed in major golf tournaments over the years.

     Win      Top 10      Did not play CUT = missed the half way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary of Major Championships

• Most consecutive cuts made – 15 (2002 PGA – 2006 U.S. Open)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 7 (2004 PGA – 2006 U.S. Open)

World Golf Championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
2008	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational	Tied for lead	−10 (270)	1 stroke	Stuart Appleby, Lee Westwood

Results Timeline

This table shows how Vijay Singh performed in World Golf Championships.

¹Cancelled due to 9/11
     Win      Top 10      Did not play QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Senior Major Championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
2018	Constellation Senior Players Championship	1 shot deficit	−20 (268)	Playoff	Jeff Maggert

Results Timeline

This table shows how Vijay Singh performed in senior major golf tournaments.

     Win      Top 10      Did not play CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

PGA Tour Career Summary

*As of the 2020 season.

Team Appearances

Amateur

• Eisenhower Trophy (representing Fiji): 1980

Professional

• Presidents Cup (International Team): 1994, 1996, 1998 (winners), 2000, 2003 (tie), 2005, 2007, 2009
• World Cup (representing Fiji): 2001, 2002, 2013
• Alfred Dunhill Challenge (representing Australasia): 1995

See Also

In Spanish: Vijay Singh para niños

• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of golfers with most European Tour wins
• List of golfers with most Asian Tour wins
• List of men's major championships winning golfers
• Longest PGA Tour win streaks
• Most PGA Tour wins in a year