With an impeccable 8 under par 64, Fijian Vijay Singh quite convincingly took the lead in the opening round at the Houston Open at Redstone Golf Club. The world’s second best player, Singh, left Australian players, Gavin Coles and Brendan Jones one shot behind and sparked off to an impressive start to his title defence in the Houston open. Firing eight birdies in a bogey-free round, Singh birdied the 12th and rattled off consecutive three birdies beginning from the 15th, starting on the back nine. An elated Singh said, “Today was a great example. I drove the ball pretty straight and pretty long. When you do that, you have a lot of looks at the holes for birdies.” He added, “I putted really well. I have been playing well, but my putter has been letting me down. Today, it kind of woke up.”

The only player elected from the PGA Tour ballot after receiving 56 percent votes, Fijian Vijay Singh has now been introduced to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Celebrating his victory and induction, Singh acknowledged that he had really toiled hard for this day and this was indeed his dream come true.

He said, “Coming from where I am, trying to make a living and never thinking about player of the year or the Hall of Fame, this was never in my wildest dreams. This is what hard work does. It pays off.”