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My Shot

The Vijay Singh I work out with isn't the same person as the one portrayed in the media

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Posted: Tuesday April 18, 2000 04:25 PM

By Randy Warren

I was angry after the Masters because, once again, Vijay Singh wasn't given the respect he deserves. Instead, he was criticized for being one dimensional, uncooperative and unfriendly. Nothing could be further from the truth. Since Vijay embraced physical fitness almost three years ago and hired me to be his personal trainer, I've become a close friend. The Vijay the media describe is not the Vijay I know.

Randy Warren believes the perception that Vijay Singh is a mercurial type is unfair. Ben Van Hook

Vijay hired me in the summer of 1997 because he felt that, at 34, he needed to start working out. From the beginning he was as fanatical about training in the gym as he was about beating balls on the range. Vijay built 300-square-foot gym in his house in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and filled it with top-shelf equipment. He also put a stair-climber in front of his DVD home theater and hired Boris Kuzmic, another trainer, to work with him when he's on the road. On Sunday at the Masters, Vijay got up at 5:45 a.m. to do a half-hour workout before finishing his third round.

When Vijay isn't at a tournament, we work out daily for an hour in his gym, and the sessions are as comical as they are grueling. I walk gingerly around his house because Vijay likes to hide behind corners and then jump out and startle me. He also loves playing with his six German shepherds -- Loppy, Rover, Silver, Snowy, Teddy Bear and Tyson. His favorite is Loppy, a 110-pound male who has had K-9 protection training. When I'm leaving after a workout, Vijay will say, "Watch," a command that sends Loppy into the attack position. Loppy will be standing eye to eye with me, Cujo-like. I'll look up, terrified, and see Vijay howling with laughter.

Warmth and hospitality are other qualities I associate with Vijay, who enjoys opening his home to friends. Every New Year's Eve I'm invited to the bash that Vijay throws, and I also go to the barbecue for his Tour mates on the Monday of the Players Championship. I like that party because I've met guys like Ben Crenshaw, David Duval and Ernie Els.

Vijay may not be very animated on the course or outspoken in interviews, but I guarantee this: He is one of the best friends I've ever had.

Randy Warren, 32, is a personal trainer and an occasional golfer who lives in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

Issue date: April 17, 2000

 

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