Far Hills, N.J. (June 2) – Vijay Singh, who has recorded three victories in golf’s Major Championships, has accepted a special exemption from qualifying for the 2010 U.S. Open Championship, which will be played June 17-20 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.
“I’m finally back to good health and really looking forward to competing at Pebble Beach,” said Singh. “It’s a fantastic event at a legendary venue. I appreciate the invitation from the USGA and can’t wait to tee it up.”
“There were many compelling reasons for us to invite Vijay Singh into the field of this year’s U.S. Open, particularly his three wins in Majors in the last 12 years,” said Thomas J. O’Toole Jr., chairman of the USGA’s championship committee. “He has played through injuries, which caused him to drop, quite quickly this year, in the World Rankings. He’s always been competitive at the U.S. Open and he is healthy and playing well again.”
Singh, a native of Fiji who won the 1998 and 2004 PGA Championships as well as the 2000 Masters Tournament, has competed in 16 U.S. Open Championships, including the last 15 consecutively. His best finish was a tie for third in 1999 and he has finished in the top 10 on seven occasions. In 2003 at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club, he tied a pair of U.S. Open scoring records with a second-round 63 that included a 29 on the second nine. He has won 34 PGA Tour events in his career and has played on eight Presidents Cup teams.
In his last start in the U.S. Open in 2009, he tied for 27th. His first start at the U.S. Open came in 1993 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., and that was the only time he failed to make the cut in his U.S. Open appearances.
The USGA, which conducts the championship, also offered a special exemption for the 2010 U.S. Open to Tom Watson, who won the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.