Nearly 2 Decades After His $10 Million Triumph, Golf Legend and Tiger Woods’ Fiercest Rival Found Pondering About His Modern-Day Chances

When Fijian golfer Vijay Singh won the Masters in 2000, everyone stood up and took notice. In his hunt for the coveted green jacket, the South Asian golfer had overhauled the likes of Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and David Duval. Back in the day, both Singh and Woods shared a fierce rivalry, a fact attested to by the 15-time major winner’s former caddie.

Fans may not see much of the 60-year-old Singh these days, but the legend recently looked back on one of his career highs. Taking to Instagram a couple of weeks ago, the 3-time Major winner recalled his iconic 2004 season, even wondering what his accomplishments would be worth in 2023.

Vijay Singh was the first golfer to cross $10m in a single season

Unlike many of his golfing compatriots, Singh did not have the easiest of childhoods. As a kid, he would use coconuts as an alternative to expensive golf balls.

Vijay Singh turned pro in 1984, eventually achieving 34 PGA Tour wins, including 3 Major victories. However, one of his biggest career highlights came when he made an incredible $10 million in a single season, becoming the first golfer to do so.

In his throwback post, Singh shared a video from his 2004 Valspar Championship victory, which marked the end of his $10 million season. His record-making 2004 season boasted nine victories, including one Major win. In September of that year, the Fijian also claimed the number one place on the Official World Golf Ranking.

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In addition to a record $10,905,166 in earnings, he also had 18 top-10 finishes that season. He was also named the PGA Tour’s and PGA of America’s Player of the Year. Looking back on his unique achievement, the former world no. 1 even wondered what his winnings would be worth in 2023. After all, prize purses in PGA events have witnessed a massive boost over the past years.

Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh once shared a fierce rivalry

Vijay Singh’s Deutsche Bank Championship win in 2004 was a special one for many of his fans. That iconic win ultimately helped him knock Tiger Woods off the top of the leaderboard, ending his 264-week-long streak. In fact, Woods’ caddie, Steve Williams, had once revealed that the pair had a love-hate relationship on course.

“I mean, there’s no player that spends more time practicing than Vijay did. And obviously a very, very good player meant he had a stretch there, you know, one year where he was like, almost as good as Tiger or, you know, if not better than Tiger,” Williams had once said in a podcast. Woods’ former caddie also shared that they deeply respected each other despite their love-hate relationship on the greens.

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What do you think Vijay Singh’s $10 million season will equate to in 2023? Let us know in the comments below.