Wynne Gray: Fijian too testy to be adored

COMMENT

If it was Tiger Woods threatening the mark for the most consecutive top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour we would have been bombarded with stories about his greatness.

Comparisons with the record-holding Jack Nicklaus would have been wheeled out ad infinitum, their lives and times dissected, compared and reconstructed.

But it is Vijay Singh, the 40-year-old Fijian who is chasing the record. Coverage of Singh's pursuit is not nearly as rampant as the hysteria which would have accompanied a similar assault from Woods.

Tiger has revolutionised golf in recent years, had a mortgage on honours in the sport and repeated recognition from his peers. But even he cannot match Singh's remarkable run.

Singh's victory last week in the Pebble Beach tournament was his 12th consecutive finish in the top 10, just two shy of the mark Nicklaus set 27 years ago.


It is an extraordinary streak, a massive tribute to his cumulative physical and mental powers.

Even Woods is in awe of Singh's endurance and perseverance.

He rarely takes a break, he has charged on without trying to manipulate his way towards Nicklaus' mark. He has not tried to protect his marathon sequence by taking mental health breaks.

His unrelenting results have matched the legendary hours he spends on the practice range.

But Singh has not earned the altitudinous reverence from his peers and the golfing media which accompanies Woods.

There seems to have been a muted appraisal of his approach towards Nicklaus' mark, almost an impression there will be relief if he misses the target.

Obviously Singh is not in the top line of popularity on the PGA tour, nor is he in the lower levels with Scott Hoch.

Some of Singh's problems relate to his lack of diplomacy, the man gives his opinions when asked and his answers are not always textbook.

Then there is the murky matter of 1985 and an incident involving Singh on the Asian Tour which has provoked biting lines like the sharpest wood in Vijay's bag is his pencil.

The fledgling professional was found guilty of altering his card to make the tournament cut and was suspended for two years. Singh denied the cheating charge but had to shift to Borneo for several years before he resumed his career in Australia.

In recent years Singh has not endeared himself in other episodes. After he won the Masters four years ago he levelled a "kiss my butt everybody" before disappearing.

The same year, Singh's caddie stitched into his hat Tiger Who? in his boss' President's Cup game with Woods.

And last year Singh claimed Annika Sorenstam "did not belong" as she prepared to play in the Colonial tournament. He hoped she missed the cut and threatened to withdraw if he was paired with her and then claimed he had been misquoted.

Eventually, in a very un-Singh-like move, he pulled out of the Colonial saying he needed a rest.

Those incidents have not endeared Singh to his brother professionals.

While he dethroned Woods as the leading money-winner on the PGA tour last year, Singh did not win the acclaim of his peers as the Golfer of the Year.

As one pro said, the result hinged on popularity instead of performance. Singh was respected but not loved enough to oust Woods as No 1.

There were few tears from the golfing media, they remembered their battles with Singh who told them he would only go to the interview room if he was leading a tournament or had won.

However, if Singh continues his sequence this weekend at Torrey Pines, he will force widespread media accolades and serious thoughts of a challenge to Tiger's title.