Vijay Singh's dedication to the game of golf has never been in question. Known as one of the biggest practicers of his generation, the legendary Fijian would regularly spend copious amounts of time at the range and on the putting green in an attempt to fine-tune his skills to an even greater degree.
The 60-year-old - who now features on the PGA Tour Champions - has also been seen taking part in gruelling workout videos on social media as he seeks to maintain his powers for as long as possible.
Taking Gary Player's famous quote: "the harder I practice, the luckier I get" to his heart from the get-go, Singh used that industrious mindset to help him land two PGA Championships - 1998 and 2004 - as well as his lone Masters title (2000) at a time where one of golf's greatest players, Tiger Woods, was at the height of his powers.
There was also the small matter of 47 combined wins across the PGA Tour and European Tour for the World Golf Hall of Fame inductee to boast.
A vital factor behind Singh's longevity at the top was down to both the quantity and quality of his practice regime throughout his career. And part of that used to involve an extremely disciplined method on the range. Well, the range in his backyard, at least.
Vijay would hit balls in his backyard for hours. He’d handpick all of them and walk back and do it over again. One day, a friend told him he’d buy a range picker for him but Vijay refused because he said he wouldn’t care as much about the shots going offline… That’s dedicationDecember 5, 2023
According to PGA Tour pro, Michael Kim: "Vijay would hit balls in his backyard for hours. He’d handpick all of them and walk back and do it over again. One day, a friend told him he’d buy a range picker for him but Vijay refused because he said he wouldn’t care as much about the shots going offline… That’s dedication."
Singh has continued his love affair with practicing even into his days on the PGA Tour Champions, which he began playing on in 2013. Since then, the 60-year-old has won five times - including the Constellation Senior Players Championship in 2018, classed as one of the PGA Tour Champions' Majors, and the Ally Challenge in August 2023.
Kim's story about Singh is the latest tale from one of the PGA Tour's more entertaining characters. The 2018 John Deere Classic winner recently shared a story he had heard about an unnamed player accepting a two-shot penalty for enjoying a cart ride on a particularly hot day.
