Who says Vijay Singh doesn’t respect women?
Singh told his wife he wouldn’t play in the Colonial if he won the Byron Nelson Championship. And being a man of his word, Singh will avoid having to play against the woman he scorned.
Singh won the Nelson on Sunday in nearby Irving, shooting a final-round 66 to beat Nick Price by two shots. He then announced he was skipping this week’s Colonial, where Annika Sorenstam would have been waiting with a golf club in her hands.
“The U.S. Open is around the corner,” Singh said. “It’s a good time to take off, I think.
“It has nothing to do with the controversy. I’ve played in four straight tournaments and I need a break.”
It couldn’t have come at a better time for Singh, who irked some fans last week when he said women should not play in PGA events unless they qualify.
Thanks to a sponsor’s exemption, Sorenstam is set to become the first woman in 58 years to play against the men. At first Singh was quoted as saying he hoped Sorenstam missed the cut, and he would withdraw if he were paired with her. He later softened his stance and said he did not mean it as a personal attack.
Even if there are no hard feelings, Singh vs. Sorenstam would have been one of the primary subplots to Colonial’s Gender Extravaganza.
“I said if I won this tournament, I’d take a week off,” he said. “It just came at the right time, I guess. Just as well.”
His withdrawal will leave one fewer player to answer endless questions from 500 media members about how they feel about playing against Sorenstam.
“She had, what, 41 other tournaments she could have chosen?” Price said.
Pardon the exasperated tone in his voice. Price is, after all, the defending Colonial champ. Yet all anyone wants to talk about is Annika.
“You said it,” Price said.
At least he had a few other questions Sunday. Like how did he shoot 65 and lose?
A big reason was the 15th, where Price three-putted for bogey. Singh sank a 28-foot birdie on the hole for a one-stroke lead.
The circus now moves 30 miles west to Colonial. “I wish her the best of luck, I really do,” Price said of Sorenstam.
