Questions For Vijay Singh
SI: Why did you hit driver twice on 18? You hit it to the right in regulation and then right again in the playoff.
VS: Hitting driver was my game plan. I didn't really have any reason not to. If you hit it to the right into a tent, you get a drop and have a good angle [to the hole]. I had only a wedge into the green.
SI: John [Daly] talked about his frustration after you beat him last year at the Buick Open. He said he hadn't really figured out how to beat you. Can golfers have a psychological edge over each other?
VS: I don't know. Maybe he's more psyched out than I am. It's unfortunate that he had to sit around so long [before the playoff]. Maybe if he had [come] right off the course and gone out, he wouldn't have hit a bad shot [into the water]. I was surprised he didn't hit driver to the right.
SI: You're the first repeat winner at the Houston Open, and after last year you have plenty of titles to defend. What does defending a title mean to you?
VS: I don't really worry about that. I have a lot of defenses and I want to win, but I don't worry about defending from the last year.
SI: Does the way the week started--with your election to the Hall of Fame--make the win even sweeter?
VS: It was a great week to pull it all off. Sometimes you start strong but don't finish that way. I was glad to finish it off.
SI: Does the win here validate the Hall induction?
VS: I don't know. It's two different things. I mean, this is a golf tournament and that's an induction into the Hall of Fame. I think the timing is perfect, though. That's all I can say. It might have happened on another week, and I wouldn't have been playing.
SI: Daly was here with his wife and kids and had most of the fans pulling for him. You were alone except for your caddie. Does that help you concentrate?
VS: I love my wife and son, but sometimes you have more focus when you're on your own.
SI: Your family was with you at the Masters. How do you decide when they're going to stay home and when they'll travel with you?
VS: I've won a lot of times with my wife and son here, and I've won solo. I don't think there's a formula for when they come out and when they don't. I'm simply happy to win.
--Art Stricklin and ASAP Sports
SI: How does it feel to be called a hall of famer?
VS: It's very nice, but I simply like to play. I don't think about those other things.
KEY STAT
14 Tour wins for Vijay Singh since he turned 40, second only to Sam Snead, who had 17.
COLOR PHOTO
RICHARD CARSON/REUTERS