Singh charges back to winning ways with Barclays Classic title June 11, 2006 By Helen Ross PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents HARRISON, N.Y. -- There are those who would tell you he never left. But Vijay Singh says he's "back," and that's all you need to know. Advertisement Singh ended an 11-month victory "drought," and we use that term only because his standards are higher than most, with that two-stroke victory over Adam Scott on Sunday in the Barclays Classic. The win was his unprecedented third at Westchester Country Club, and re-affirms Singh's position among the prime contenders for the U.S. Open, which begins Thursday five miles down the road at historic Winged Foot. "This gives me a lot of confidence, put it that way," Singh admitted. "This gives me the feeling, hey, if you get into contention, I can finish it off. Just getting into contention is a big thing out here. "It makes people think that once they see my name up there, I'm back -- so look out." Singh laughed when he said that, but it was clear that what he had termed a "horrible" year on Friday had taken a dramatic turn for the better in just one week. "I'm not trying to send any message out there," Singh said. "For myself, I'm playing well again, and … I'm going to be a factor next week if I play like I did today. If I keep my head straight next week, I think I'll be a big factor." Feature content FREE video: Vijay Singh: Headed to Hawaii Shot of the Day: Vijay Singh on No. 16 Final-round highlights Westchester flyovers More FREE video TOURCast Replay every shot from every player from every hole -- in real time! Information Headed to Hawaii Although he had seven top-10s prior to Sunday's victory, Singh was coming off a stretch where he had finished outside the top 25 in his last four starts. The last time that had happened was when he went five straight during the 2000 season before winning the Masters. Singh has won 20 times since earning his first Green Jacket, but lately he had been out of sorts on the golf course. The man with such enormous self-confidence had lost his way. He wasn't patient with himself, and he got perturbed with others. "I think bad shots started to bother me more than ever, little things," he said. "I was very angry with my caddie for even talking to me at the wrong time … of the round. One thing led to the other, and I was just angry. "I just didn't feel like playing golf out there if I wasn't in contention, and that's not the way to play golf. This week (I had) a different mindset: just go out there and enjoy and play and see what it's about and get the feeling back a little." His confidantes had noticed the change. Singh said they talked to him about not trying so hard and letting things happen. They gave the soon-to-be member of the World Golf Hall of Fame the confidence boost he needed. "It was just anxiety," Singh said. "Every week came up and guys started talking, it's another week, what do you think? I was never worried about winning, I was always worried about how I was playing. "I wasn't playing to my ability and wasn't playing the way I wanted to play. The pressure kind of mounted that way instead of winning golf tournaments. But it was good to get this one off. Hopefully I can start winning again a lot more, so we'll see what happens." Singh is a very different player than the one who picked up his first PGA TOUR victory at Westchester in 1993. His expectations have grown with each of the 28 wins that have followed, as evidenced by what had to be overcome to get to Sunday's victory. "At that point I just wanted to play well and win," Singh said, thinking back 13 years. "I just wanted to get on this TOUR, get my footing on the ground and just play hard. It was a big thing. I mean, it was the biggest thing that I've ever done in golf, winning here in America for the first time. "This week it was just totally different, it was just trying to get my confidence back, trying to get my feel back for playing in contention and finishing it off, which I did." Singh, who tied for 13th at the 1997 PGA Championship, has heard the horror stories about the lush rough and the narrow fairways and the severity of the greens at Winged Foot. But he will not make his first visit to the A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece until Monday. "I refuse to go and torture myself any more than I'm going to do next week," Singh said with a smile. "I'm going to show up there tomorrow and ease myself onto the golf course late in the afternoon and see what it's about. I know it's going to be tough." A win next Sunday would give Singh the third leg of the career Grand Slam. He tied for sixth at Pinehurst No. 2 last year, and he has five other top-10 finishes, including a career-best third at the same Donald Ross course in 1999. "Obviously I have not won a U.S. Open, so it would be a big thing for me just to go out there and play well," Singh said. "The golf course is going to suit definitely a straight hitter, and I am not one of the straightest out here. You know, I'd like to go out there and feel myself and feel the golf course. "Sometimes I play really well on really hard and tight golf courses. If I get a good feeling with my club, you never know. I feel I'm playing good again and I feel like I'm seeing it well, which is important. With my head a little better now, who knows?"