Deutsche Bank player spotlight: Vijay Singh

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Each week during the 2009 season, PGATOUR.COM will spotlight one key player in the field. (Click here to see previous spotlights.) For this week, it's Vijay Singh, a two-time Deutsche Bank Championship winner and the defending champion of the FedExCup. Consider this file to be your one-stop source for everything concerning Vijay this week, with links to Vijay-related content, notes and stats, video and other multimedia elements.

THURSDAY
Video: Defending champion Singh talks to media
Transcript: Download Vijay's interview

What's on Vijay's mind?

The defending Deutsche Bank champion weighs in on a few topics

ON TPC BOSTON: "When I first got there, I did not like the golf course at all. I don't think many golfers did. But the changes they made, last year's golf course was just totally different conditions. I thought the redesign was great, incredible, and it kind of gives you good feelings to go out there and play. Pretty much a totally [different] golf course than when we first got there. Throughout the years, I've played in TPC Boston, they've constantly changed the golf course for the better. Each year you come there's something new going on. Hopefully this year there's nothing. But I've just enjoyed playing there ... Look out for me when I come back there." ON FEDEXCUP POINTS CHANGES: "I don't think it's going to affect anything going into the Playoffs. You know the rules, you know what you have to do. I think it will be more exciting. Last year there was no definite set rules how they were going to do the points; it was all a trial-and-error thing. I think this year it's going to be the same thing. They're trying to get it to as close to being the most exciting format coming into THE TOUR Championship. So this will be one of them. Anybody that gets into THE TOUR Championship has a chance of winning. I think it's going to be great. Whoever plays well in the last event is going to win. I think it's very fair, and I think it's going to be good." ON THE PLAYOFFS: "When we're going into the FedExCup, the guys' first priority is to win the golf tournament, and obviously once you do that, then the reshuffle comes in after the first three events. Once we get into the FedExCup, everybody is going to be gearing up to play THE TOUR Championship. That would be the final goal. ... It's going to be big. I think it's going to be the most exciting year on the FedExCup than the previous two." USING VARIOUS APPROACHES TOWARDS PUTTING: "I could write a book on that, you know. It's all about confidence. It's all about making a few putts. If you start rolling a few putts, you get a great feeling about a putt. And one or two good putts later on in the round it gave me confidence. ... I've changed my grip. I'm going to a longer putter, and I've got away from the nervous tick that I had with my short putts (last year), so it's been going really good. I've practiced a lot and I think I've overcome the problem that I had last year. It was incredible, it was really -- I never felt like that, on those short putts last year, than any other time in my career. I worked on that, and I think I've overcome that." DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM TOM WATSON'S BRITISH OPEN RUN: "I've had more questions about his age and (how it) makes us old guys look great. I said, hold on a sec, I'm not that old. But it does. It does give me a lot more inspiration. It would have been great if he had won, but what he did is just incredible. It shows how good of a player he is, and really, that age doesn't really matter. If you're healthy and you're fit and your golf game is good, you can play for as long as you want to play, and that gives me a lot more confidence." RATHER WIN THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP OR THE FEDEXCUP?: That's a trick question. THE PLAYERS Championship obviously is our championship. They have different importance, you know. FedExCup, obviously the prize is huge and it's very new. Put it this way; I'd rather win both of them. How's that?"

About the art

New York City artist Steven Anthony Salerno created the original artwork for this week's Player Spotlight on defending FedExCup champion Vijay Singh. Here is how Salerno created the artwork: "This image began by using a waxy black pencil to draw in the body and face of Vijay on watercolor paper. Then I painted the skin tones, shirt, pants, sky and the golf course background with water-based gouache paints and brushes. I wanted to give this image more heart than just being a straight portrait of his long, powerful swing ... so I created additional transparent layers in Photoshop, inserting a subtle graphic traditional flower textile pattern indigenous to the area of Fiji (where he is originally from) and also added the word 'VICTORY' into the center of the image, which I'd discovered is the meaning of the name Vijay. He has certainly lived up to the meaning of his name. Considering what Tom Watson, at 59, almost did at the British Open this year, and Vijay only being a youthful 46, he's got plenty more victories in him." To see a larger image of the artwork, as well as previous work by the artist, click here

Featured content

FEDEXCUP CHAMPION. The Big Fijian is defending more than the Deutsche Bank Championship this week; he's in the middle of defending the FedExCup, too. Learn more about Singh's rise to the top of the TOUR in 2008. Click here for more INSIDE THE NUMBERS. How did Singh capture the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2008? PGATOUR.COM has analyzed the ShotLink data to determine how the Big Fijian won the second leg of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Click here for more DEUTSCHE BANK PREVIEW. Vijay's win at TPC Boston all but solidified his position atop the FedExCup standings in 2008. Take a look back at how Vijay took the title. Click here for more COOL WITH THE CHANGES. If the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup had been set up in 2008 the way they are this year, Vijay Singh might not have won it all. But he says he's OK with that. Click here for story PLAYER PAGE. Want more on Vijay? On his PGATOUR.com player page, you can check out his results through the years, or how he ranks on TOUR in certain statistical categories. Click here for player page

Featured videos

OUTSIDE THE ROPES. Want to get the inside scoop on Vijay's favorite meal, his first job and his first car? Check out his Outside The Ropes video. Click here for video MIND OVER MATTER. Vijay Singh's journey to becoming the 2008 FedExCup Champion began with a pledge to the St. Judes Children's Hospital that gave him the focus he needed to reclaim his golf game. Click here for video GIVING BACK. Even the FedExCup champion has time for a little playtime with the children. Singh, along with Camilo Villegas, supports the Eagles for St. Jude program. Click here for video LOOKING BACK. Vijay recaps the weeks that led up to his 2008 FedExCup victory, including three huge wins in a seven-start stretch. Click here for story FROM BOUNCER TO GOLFER. Vijay talks about what he did before he was one of the world's elite golfers, and what that means to his game now. Click here for video SWINGPLEX. Vijay Singh's swing is a model of flexibility for players above the age of 40. See his long, fluid swing in slow-motion. Click here for player page

Take Five

Five things you should know about Vijay Singh

Growing up, Vijay played snooker, cricket, soccer and rugby as well as golf. Teamed with his brothers Krishna and Mira to represent Fiji in the Dunhill Cup. Of his 34 TOUR wins, 22 have come since he turned 40. That's a record. In 2005, Vijay was appointed as a goodwill ambassador for his native country of Fiji. His first name means "victory" in Hindi.

Singh vs. PGA TOUR: How Singh won the 2008 FedExCup

Statistic Singh entering Playoffs TOUR average Singh in the playoffs Playoff average Driving Distance 9th 293.4 280.0 4th 293.9 281.5 Total Driving 55th 180 212 T21st 85 115 Greens in Regulation Percentage 15th 67.56% 62.35 T11th 71.88% 66.04 Going for the Green 3rd 67.28% 45.52 T3rd 68.75% 38.28 Proximity to Hole T38th 34 feet 3 inches 35 feet 10 inches T53rd 34 feet 2 inches 34 feet 4 inches Rough Proximity 19th 40 feet 1 inches 43 feet 11 inches T17th 40 feet 5 inches 45 feet 8 inches Scrambling 48th 59.12% 55.73 64th 58.02% 58.58 Scrambling from the Rough 30th 60.78% 54.66 40th 61.36% 56.43 Putting Average T125th 1.801 1.799 46th 1.758 1.768 3-Putt Avoidance T148th 3.58% 3.27 T20th 1.74% 2.89 Putts Per Round T127th 29.44 29.30 T79th 29.63 29.15 Putting from 4-8 feet 196th 61.97% 67.66 57th 67.90% 67.92 Putting inside 10 feet 174th 85.51% 86.71 93rd 84.49% 86.74 Putting from 10-15 feet T124th 28.70% 29.29 90th 23.68% 31.08 Putting from 15-20 feet 202nd 10.10% 17.47 63rd 17.39% 19.90 Putting from 20-25 feet 168th 8.22% 11.79 T96th .00% 12.74 Putting from further than 25 feet 59th 6.32% 5.34 T30th 8.33% 6.02 Average Distance of Putts made T196th 66 feet 8 inches 72 feet 5 inches 78th 72 feet 5 inches 75 feet 10 inches Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage 39th 29.16% 27.06 63rd 27.67% 27.98 Scoring Average (Actual) 8th 70.55 71.75 10th 69.19 70.40 Birdie Average T14th 3.60 3.15 T38th 3.63 3.43 Par Breakers 13th 20.43% 17.82 T37th 20.49% 19.44 Round 1 Scoring Average 66th 71.17 71.95 T25th 69.25 70.52 Round 2 Scoring Average 17th 70.39 71.94 T60th 70.00 70.01 Round 3 Scoring Average 10th 69.62 71.27 T28th 69.50 70.33 Round 4 Scoring Average T58th 70.85 71.57 T3rd 68.00 70.86 Final Round Scoring Average T49th 70.85 71.63 T3rd 68.00 70.86 Par 4 Scoring Average T12th 4.04 4.10 T17th 3.97 4.02 Par 5 Scoring Average T1st 4.54 4.73 3rd 4.45 4.73 Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders 1st 50.80% 37.84 T4th 55.00% 37.19 Bounce Back 145th 16.76% 17.27 T42nd 20.00% 18.36

Wins over 40

Vijay's 22 victories in his fifth decade

Win Year Tournament Score Margin Runner-up 13 2003 EDS Byron Nelson Championship 15 under 2 strokes Nick Price 14 2003 John Deere Classic 16 under 4 strokes J.L. Lewis. Chris Riley, Jonathan Byrd 15 2003 FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort 23 under 4 strokes Scott Verplank, Stewart Cink, Tiger Woods 16 2004 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 16 under 3 strokes Jeff Maggert 17 2004 Shell Houston Open 11 under 2 strokes Scott Hoch 18 2004 HP Classic of New Orleans 22 under 1 stroke Joe Ogilvie, Phil Mickelson 19 2004 Buick Open 23 under 1 stroke John Daly 20 2004 PGA Championship* 8 under playoff Justin Leonard, Chris DiMarco 21 2004 Deutsche Bank Championship 16 under 3 strokes Tiger Woods, Adam Scott 22 2004 Bell Canadian Open 9 under playoff Mike Weir 23 2004 84 Lumber Classic 15 under 1 stroke Stewart Cink 24 2004 Chrysler Championship 18 under 5 strokes Tommy Armour III, Jesper Parnevik 25 2005 Sony Open in Hawaii 11 under 1 stroke Ernie Els 26 2005 Shell Houston Open 13 under playoff John Daly 27 2005 Wachovia Championship 12 under playoff Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia 28 2005 Buick Open 24 under 4 strokes Zach Johnson, Tiger Woods 29 2006 Barclays Classic 10 under 2 strokes Adam Scott 30 2007 Mercedez-Benz Championship 14 under 2 strokes Adam Scott 31 2007 Arnold Palmer Invitational 8 under 2 strokes Rocco Mediate 32 2008 Bridgestone Invitational 10 under 1 stroke Stuart Appleby, Lee Westwood 33 2008 The Barclays 8 under playoff Sergio Garcia, Kevin Sutherland 34 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship 22 under 5 strokes Mike Weir

* Major championship