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Vijay Singh, 63, Wasn’t Sure He Could Golf Because His Back Hurt. Then He Became the Second-Oldest Player to Win on the PGA Tour Champions
Vijay SinghCredit: Raj Mehta/Getty
Vijay SinghCredit: Raj Mehta/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • Vijay Singh just made golf history

  • The 63-year-old golfer became the second oldest to win a tournament on the PGA Tour Champions

  • Singh won the SAS Championship by two strokes over Ernie Els

Vijay Singh battled the cold — and an aching back — for a historic golf win!

The PGA Tour Champions golfer became the second-oldest player to win on the circuit at age 63 following a two-shot victory at the SAS Championship on Sunday, Oct. 18.

“This was a big one,” Singh said after closing out the tournament in Cary, N.C., with a 9-under total. “It’s been a tough year, all year, and then I didn’t know how I was going to play this morning. My back doesn’t do very well in cold. I didn’t hit my irons as good as I wanted to, but I got the job done.”

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The only other golfer older than Singh to win a tournament on the 50-and-older circuit is Bernhard Langer, who won at the age of 67 in 2024 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club.

Vijay SinghCredit: Raj Mehta/Getty
Vijay SinghCredit: Raj Mehta/Getty

Singh has won 34 times on the PGA Tour, but Sunday marked only his sixth win on the senior tour, according to the Golf Channel. His last win was during the Ally Challenge in August 2023.

The win was the Fijian golfer’s first top-10 finish this year. 

Amid a crowded leaderboard, the golfer made four birdies in a six-hole stretch as the field around him faltered. His six straight pars were enough to beat Ernie Els, who finished the tournament at 7-under.

The tournament’s defending champion, Alex Cejka, and Tag Ridings tied for third at 6-under, three strokes back.

For Singh, the win was proof that practice pays off.

“This one feels good right now,” he said. “Hopefully it’s going to boost me up for the next few events to come and for next year. I think I kind of rededicated myself a little bit. I have been very lazy practicing.”

He added, “I’ve been working out, but I haven’t been practicing very much. So I think I have to start doing that, which I started doing that again and I think that’s why I won today, I guess. Just the extra work that got me through.”

Read the original article on People

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