Golf analyst criticises Tiger Woods' former rival over PGA Tour comeback

Brandel Chamblee says Vijay Singh's decision to make use of a money list exemption to play on the PGA Tour again at the age of 62 is a result of what happens when players are given too much power.

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Tiger Woods' former rival, a winner of three major championships, has decided to make use of the generous perk in 2026. 

Singh, who turns 63 in February, has not played a regular-season PGA Tour event since the 2021 Honda Classic. 

But he is an early commit to the PGA Tour's rescheduled curtain-raiser next week, The Sony Open, in Hawaii. 

Under current PGA Tour regulations, anyone inside the top 25 in the career money list can use that status on a one-time basis to retain full exempt status. 

Golf Channel analyst Chamblee appears to be among those who believe the rule is outdated and disagree with the Fijian former world number one cashing in on his hall of fame career. 

"This is what happens when you give into or give too much power to players," he wrote on X.  

"If the PGA Tour is going to claim to be a sport based upon meritocracy, you can't allow players to monetized their performances of a decade or decades ago, through current exemptions. 

"Sport must always answer the question: why are you here rather than someone else? 

"And the answer can never be because I was great ten or twenty years ago."

Singh turned professional in 1982 and had an outstanding career on the PGA Tour. 

He made 506 cuts from 638 starts and won 34 PGA Tour titles. 

He won the PGA Championship in 1998 and again in 2004. He also won the 2000 Masters.

It places him inside the top 15 winners of all time and he was inducted into the hall of fame in 2006. 

Singh is also known for de-throning Woods at the top of the world rankings, ruling for 34 weeks. 

His career was not without controversy, though. He repeatedly faced accusations of slow play and butted heads with other golfers. 

At the 1985 Indonesian Open, Singh was also accused of cheating by altering his score card to improve his score and make the cut. 

Singh has always vehemently denied intentionally cheating, but he was disqualified from the tournament. 

Phil Mickelson nearly came to blows with Singh in the Augusta National locker room during the 2005 Masters. 

Their disagreement was over the length of the spikes on Mickelson's golf shoes. 

Singh was playing behind the six-time major champion in round two and felt Lefty was damaging the soaked greens. 

It led to a shouting match after Mickelson overheard Singh discussing the matter with other players. 

"I was extremely distracted and would have appreciated if it would have been handled differently or after the round," Mickelson previously said. 

"After sitting in the locker room for a while, I heard Vijay talking to other players about it, and I confronted him. He expressed his concerns.

"I expressed my disappointment with the way it was handled. I believe everything is fine now."

Despite the argument, Mickelson defended Singh years later when the Fijian sparked further controversy after entering a Korn Ferry Tour event. 

Then Korn Ferry member, Brady Schnell, labelled Singh "a true piece of trash" but Mickelson came to his defence. 

"It's no secret Vijay and I aren’t close, but I'd like to say on his behalf that in addition to being a member of the HoF, he's a big part of the PGA Tour's success which financially subsidises, and always has, the KFT," Mickelson said. 

"He has earned the right to play when and where he wants."

Singh isn't alone in being able to make use of the career money list exemption. 

Multiple winner Matt Kuchar, now 47, finished 118th in the FedEx Cup standings last season. 

It meant that for the first time in 19 seasons he did not retain his full status, ending a run where he could mostly pick and choose his own schedule. 

Kuchar told media after the RSM Classic that he wasn't sure what he plans to do. 

He could play on the PGA Tour in 2026/2027 with conditional status or make the same decision as Singh. 

"This is a different PGA Tour from when I first joined in 2002," Kuchar previously said.  

"I don't know if using an exemption will get me any different starts. It's a tricky one."

It's unclear how much Singh will play on the PGA Tour in 2026.