Vijay Singh Is Looking Forward to Another Great Season in 2009

The fact that an article is even being written about the potential for a 46-year-old man to have another great season in 2009 is a testament to just how much the game has changed over the past 10-15 years. 

Before an interest in physical fitness spread like wildfire across the PGA Tour, Jack Nicklaus’ win at the 1986 Masters at the age of 46 was considered to be nothing short of a small miracle.

Vijay Singh, who will turn 46 in February, won three out of his last seven events in 2008 en-route to becoming the tour’s leading money winner and FedEx Cup champion. 

Vijay is probably the best demonstration on the affects of how a rigorous fitness regime can significantly extend the prime of a player’s career.

In 2008 Singh average 298 yards off the tee which ranked 25th on tour, not a stat one would expect from a player who is just four years from being eligible for the Champions Tour. 

For a player that should be entering his twilight years on the tour, Singh showed an amazing level of consistency during the 2008 season.

Singh finished the year with a scoring average of 69.6 which ranked sixth on the PGA Tour.  Singh also had eight top-10 finishes and finished within the top-25 in more than 50% of tournaments he entered.

Vijay indeed shocked just about everyone with his outstanding performance in 2008, particularly late in the year.  But the big question on everyone’s mind is, will Vijay be able to ride his late 2008 success into the 2009 season, and could he even have another major left in him? 

Despite being 46-years-old, Vijay is without question physically able compete against the world’s best.

As ridiculous as that last sentence would have sounded 10 years ago, it is a product of the level of fitness training present on the modern day PGA Tour, and Vijay has bought into this philosophy more than most. 

Singh undertakes a relentless fitness regime that has allowed him to remain flexible and strong into his late 40s. 

As far as being physically fit enough to have a great year in 2009, Vijay without question passes that criteria with flying colors. 

The main question for Vijay in 2009 will be whether or not he can keep hold of the stellar game he displayed in late 2008. 

Just last week, Vijay outplayed most of the top players in the world to win the Chevron World Challenge hosted by Tiger Woods, which is yet another late season success for Vijay to ride into the 2009 season which will begin with the Mercedes Benz Championship in Hawaii on January 8th. 

Vijay is one of the longest and most accurate players on tour, has shown a suburb level of consistence throughout most of his career, and is still physically able to play the game at its highest level. 

So, there does not appear to be any good reason as to why Vijay will not have another great year in 2009 and even have a legitimate chance to tack on one more major championship before his prime finally does pass him by, whenever that may be.