Vijay Singh Set to Go Under Knife on Wednesday

The next PGA Tour player to go on a hot streak better keep a very close eye on their health—their knees in particular.

As we all know, following his miraculous win at the 2008 US Open, Tiger Woods underwent season-ending reconstructive ACL surgery. 

Now, FedEx Cup Champion Vijay Singh is also going under the knife to repair a torn meniscus that he ironically suffered at Tiger Woods’ Chevron World Challenge a few weeks ago.

Singh has said that the injury has not affected his swing, but gives him some pain and discomfort when walking down hills, which is obviously a common occurrence for a tour professional who makes a living walking up and down the hills of golf courses.

Singh will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery this Wednesday, and will be out of action for at least five weeks.

Singh will most likely aim to return for the Accenture Match Play Championship in a little over six weeks, but similar to Woods’ current scenario, it will all depend upon how quickly the knee heals.

If Singh is able to return some time between the Accenture Match Play Championship—which will be played during the last week of February—and the WGC-CA Championship—which begins on March 12—he will still have around a month to prepare for the Masters. 

However, Singh is a player who has created his own success through a hard-nosed practice routine that literally involves hitting golf balls from sun-up until sun-down every single day. He will obviously have to refrain from hitting golf balls during the early stages of his recovery.

Even upon returning in late February or early March, Singh will still—in all likelihood—be physically unable to re-start his customary practice regime upon which he has built an extremely successful career.

Singh resides at Ponte Vedra Beach, which is just a couple of hundred miles north of Woods’ home in Windermere, Fla., meaning that during the month of February, two of the best golfers on the planet will be undergoing very similar rehabilitation programs just a two-three hour drive from each other. 

However, Singh is likely to return to the PGA Tour before Woods.  But each player will now be facing an equally tough road to Augusta for the year’s first major.