Vijay Singh Deserves Every Start He Wants In 2026

A significant amount of digital ink and soundwaves has already been devoted to discussing Vijay Singh's return to the PGA Tour in 2026, thanks to a one-time career money list exemption that he has decided to utilize. And, as is the case with much of modern sport, a debate has ensued over whether a 62-year-old (soon 63 in February) should be allowed to return to the tour using such an exemption.

One of the biggest questions now is, why is he doing this in the first place?

Is it to give it one last shot against players half his age, or is this (what many have called) classic Vijay choosing for one last time to be a thorn in the side of the Tour that once accused him of using a banned substance to gain a performance advantage?

Either way you look at it one thing can’t be debated. The PGA Tour created the exemption and VJ sits comfortably inside the top 10 on the career money list. Singh isn’t taking something from the Tour. He’s exercising something he earned—and the Tour should live with the exemptions it created.

VJ’s History with the Tour and Those in Power

In Singh’s long career on the PGA TOUR he had numerous run-ins with those in power, most notably during the time he was accused a banned substance found in deer antler spray to help aid in recovery. The accusations were rescinded by the tour, but this still lead to a lawsuit which dragged out for 5 years and ended up getting settled just a few days before going to trial. Singh sued the Tour over public humiliation, and while it settled quietly, the fracture never fully healed.

Another instance was when he was misquoted when talking about Annika Sörenstam and her exemption into the Fort Worth event at Colonial where he eventually withdrew citing other commitments.

Fair or not, Singh has often been judged more by perception than context—something that has followed him for decades.

Vijay’s History with Players

To me, the most interesting dichotomy in the Singh story is his reputation with players, especially those he perceived as outsiders and hard workers. He was fairly well known inside the ropes for being frosty to those he saw as competition but helpful to those learning the ropes, and willing to work - Jason Duffner was one of those guys Singh took a bit of a shining to.

I can’t speak to watching from inside the ropes, but one of the few personal anecdotes I have of the former No 1. player was during the 2006 Canadian Open where I (along with my youngest brother) happened to be following him with a small group during an early week practice round. During our walk within the small crowd Singh specifically called over my brother - a young teen at the time, and gave him a ball from the previous hole personally marked in sharpie “VJ” next to the ProV1x. This was unprovoked, and we were not part of the usual crowd of gawkers asking for balls and gloves, we were just there to watch golf.

Although of all the autographs I still have, I did manage to get "VJ" to sign his cover of GolfWeek from the time he won the PGA Championship and passed Tiger Woods as No. 1 in the world.

His long range sessions are stuff of legend, and the number of balls he’s hit was once calculated to be more than 10-million, or as Golf Digest’s Jerry Tarde once said “the weight of almost 10 elephants”. He not only liked hitting golf balls but also happened to go viral back in 2021 for having a chuckle while watching Bryson DeChambeau in his prime "gainz era" blasting balls at the tournament practice area during The Masters. Once a range nerd - always a range nerd. You don’t put in ten million balls just to fade quietly.

To me, it’s his commitment to the task at hand, and the endless pursuit of getting better that represents what Singh is all about, and if that means he wants to put in the work one more time as a 62-year-old 34-time PGA Tour winner with 3 major championships to his name. He’s earned every opportunity and that shouldn’t be taken away from him.

This is not about nostalgia but entitlement in the literal sense. He earned it. The TOUR wrote the rules. This is what honoring history actually looks like.