Vijay Singh has not lost a step since his record-breaking 2004 PGA Tour season. There was little question that Singh would remain on top of his game as the world number one. But there was some doubt as to how long it would take Singh to re-establish his winning ways.
The answer: two weeks. In difficult conditions, the best player in the world fired a five under par 65 to win the Sony Open in Hawaii by a stroke over Ernie Els.
Coupled with a top five finish at the Mercedes, and it is obvious that Singh has intentions of remaining number one for more than one glorious summer. That's not much of a surprise, though. On the verge of his 42nd birthday, Vijay is playing the best golf of his life in the twilight of his career.
Singh's success is the ultimate example of the trend in golf toward superior players extending their careers or even improving at the end of a career. The world number one, though, is just one of several men over the age of 40 moving higher in the world rankings.
The Sony Open in Hawaii showcased another man over 50, a Champions Tour regular even, that still has what it takes to play on the big Tour. Craig Stadler finished in a tie for ninth this past week and was a winner at age 50 of the BC Open in 2003. He is fully exempt on the PGA and Champions Tours and could very well make the Tour Championship on both Tours with performances like this past week.
How would any article about the elder statesmen of the Tour be complete without a mention of Jay Haas. Haas was the man who began the most recent resurgence of the older players on Tour. Jay had his best season at age 50, finishing with well over $2 million in earnings. On top of that, last season, Haas almost became the second man in Tour history to finish in the top 30 on the PGA and Champ Tour money lists. Although he still has not won in more than a decade, a top three at the Tour Championship in November indicates that Haas is close as ever to winning.
Perhaps the play of Singh, Haas, and Stadler have served as an inspiration to Tom Kite. Kite has just a few wins on the Champions Tour since turning 50, but he has opted to use a one-time season long exemption for career money list to plan on the Tour this year. In his re-debut at Sony, he did not manage to blow the field away, but he did manage to make the cut. That could be a start for the 1992 U.S. Open Champion and long-time mainstay on the Tour's money list elites.
Interestingly enough, though, another fully exempt 50+ golfer has opted to go full time on the Champions Tour. Peter Jacobsen, winner of the 2003 Buick Championship (formerly the GHO), turned over to the Champ Tour full time last season.
Although he played a limited schedule, Jake has said that he will most likely not go back to the PGA Tour to finish out his full exemption this season. The quintessential fan favorite, Jacobson will likely grow into a Champ Tour superstar with the combination of his excellent golf prowess and his ability to engage and entertain the growing fan base of that Tour.
The list, though, is not limited to the aforementioned men. Nick Price may very well still have one good last run left in him. Davis Love III is well over 40 now, as is Tom Lehman, who is experiencing quite a resurgence in the past ten months.
With these examples, it seems then that age gives former A-tier players more playing options than ever before. The opportunity to play on the Champions Tour offers guys over 50 a chance to earn a very strong wage for their day jobs. But, for those who have managed to stay in shape and integrate improved equipment options, the PGA Tour no longer has a speed limit of 50.
Leave a Comment