The Singh and his swing

Vijay Singh has come a long way. From the jungles of Borneo, where he sweated in obscurity while grooving a swing and nurturing a dream, to every manicured practice range on the PGA Tour, Vijay Singh never met a range ball he didn''t like to hit.
The man who intends to outwork Singh, must reconcile himself to a life of little sleep and one meal a day.
The Vijay Singh story would be told and re-told, of how a man from the South Pacific archipelago of Fiji finally believed himself capable of winning, and ended Tiger Wood''s five-year reign as World number one.
So what was it like to displace Woods from the No. 1 slot ? "I have always focused on trying to be the best in the world in what I do and on winning the tournament that I am playing. So when I finally got to World No. 1, it was a great feeling as it was the realisation of a dream that I had worked very hard to fulfil," said Singh.
His rags to riches tale will be narrated to every aspiring golfer. Vijay Singh began life in an area where golf is hardly heard of, but he plays now at the epicentre of a golf religion.
Born on February 22, 1963, in Loutuka, Fiji, from grandparents who migrated from India, he is the son of an aircraft technician, Mohan Singh, a 13-handicap golfer.
Singh grew up in Nadi, sharing beds with his five siblings. The family home was adjacent to the airport, with a nine-hole golf courVse on the opposite side.
If you were as eager to play as young Vijay, you often just dodged your way across the runway, averting airplane traffic and assorted other vehicles along the way.
He dropped out of school at 16 to make his first cheque in golf - caddying for $1 a day at Nadi Airport Golf Club.
After work, his father would meet Vijay at the course and teach his son how to play. It''s the only instruction Singh ever had, except for watching tapes of Tom Weiskopf''s swing.
And it comes most naturally to the world champion, when asked about his inspiration and hero. "My father and Walter Hagen."
Singh left Fiji when he was 19 to turn professional, but wasn''t an instant success. He ended up taking a job as a club pro in Borneo, giving lessons for $10 an hour to nearby oil workers, while working on his game by hitting about a 1000 balls a day in the rain forest.
He finally made it to the European Tour in 1988, but was still so financially insecure that he had to take a second job as a bouncer at a Scottish nightclub. That was then.
Money has not been a problem since, and today the hardest working golfer has became the first player in tour history, to earn more than $10 million in one year.
There''s been no looking back. Victory after victory, record after record, and now World No 1, but his most cherished moment is, "The 2000 Masters victory."
He now lives in Ponte Verda, Florida, with wife Ardena and son 14-yr-old son, Qass Seth.
A very private person, his wife and son, are the only other people able to enjoy his inner life. She was one of his golf students in Kuala Lumpur, and they married in 1985. Ardena, a Malaysian, is more than a wife - "she''s a soulmate."
Quiet and unobtrusive, she''s a regular face at tournaments. Friends say that he has not forgotten how she stuck by him during his dark and difficult days. She keeps a notebook of his game, and they discuss it later.
When Qass, his "most prized possession," was younger and school was not that important, father and son used to travel more to tournaments, often spending time together at the practice green when all others had gone home.
He has two golfing brothers, Krishna and Mira, and they once teamed to represent Fiji in the Dunhill Cup. Vijay Singh''s golf course design company is now designing a spectacular new golf course at Natadola Marine Resort in his home country of Fiji. This was, apparently, a dream he''d had since he was a young boy - to design a golf course in his homeland.
So what are the three most important happenings in his life? "Marriage, the birth of my son and making it as World No. 1."
Singh is in the Capital for the BILTS Skins tournament, along with world pros like Todd Hamilton, Justin Rose and another Indian-born, Daniel Chopra.
"I''m very excited at the prospect of taking part in this tournament in India. The last time I played here was a pleasant experience. It helped that I won, albeit by the skin of my teeth.
"But this time Gautam Thapar has made my task pretty tough this year by getting me to go up against talented players like Todd, Justin and Daniel. These guys can beat anyone on their day; so I''ve got to be at the top of my game," said Vijay.
On golf in India, he said, "Golf here is at the beginning of what will hopefully be a strong upward curve. There is loads of potential in India and I am sure, given a bit of time, a lot of it will get realised."
Though of Indian origin, Singh does not visit here very often, but says, "the Indian culture fascinates me greatly."
A pragmatic approach to life always has been Singh''s way : He''s singular in his focus, neither drinking nor smoking.
He works out with a personal trainer twice a day, recently had a state-of-the-art weight room built in his Ponte Vedra Beach house and looks as fit and strong as a 25-year-old.
Singh presents himself as a man so dedicated to his craft and to the advancement of his family unit, that his preoccupation borders on the obsessive. A quiet man with a clear vision and limitless vigour, Singh reinforces the notion that his mental outlook is as solid as his golf swing. The secret of his success?
"Hard work is really the only road to the top. "
Amratinder Singh, who''s been caddying Vijay during his India visits, concurs. "Complete focus on the game. Nothing distracts him, and he never loses his composure. If he hits a bad shot, he knows how to make up. He is a bit reserved, but friendly with colleagues, and does crack jokes on the course."
So what does he have in mind when he gets down to the course. "My only thought is to be focused on the present and on the job at hand."
Vijay may not have the bounce that Woods displays. Nor the charisma of Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus, but his work ethic is legendary.
"My strongest belief is in myself." No wonder then, he has never worried about PR, Q ratings or network appearances.
That''s why he''s more than content to beat balls, hour after hour, in virtual isolation on the range. That persona may explain why golf fans have not warmed up to Singh''s stellar season.
While Woods can light up a television audience with his mega-watt smile, Singh takes a much more low-key approach. A wave of his hand and a ever-so-slight grin is all you get from the Big Fijian.
But he exudes a confidence that can only come from the knowledge that, while he may be no more perfect than his peers, there is no one in the game more willing to seek perfection, no one less willing to accept less.
He has way to go! And doesn''t want the year he became the world''s No. 1 player to be the pinnacle of his career.