Solid Singh works his way right into thick of things

Vijay Singh likes to check out the scoreboards whenever he plays, and this week is no exception. As well as he's driving and putting so far at Augusta, it'll be no surprise to see his name work its way up to the top of the big boards yet again.

By Dave Shedloski, PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Vijay Singh is a scoreboard watcher. He can't help himself.

But at Augusta National Golf Club, he has an excuse.

"I like to see what the other guys are doing, though not necessarily how I'm doing against them," says the 2000 Masters Champion. "Around here the scoreboards are so big, if you don't look you must be blind."

And if Singh doesn't appear on that leaderboard, it would be a surprise.

With a 1-under-par 71 Friday at Augusta National, Singh is in the thick of the hunt again at the Masters Tournament. His 144 total, even par, is just two shots out of the lead, a prime position for the FedExCup leader on the PGA TOUR and one of two men, along with Tiger Woods, with multiple victories this year.

"I'm just playing solid golf," said Singh, 44, who has finished eighth or better in the Masters each of the last five years. "I'm putting well and I'm driving it well. That's a mistake some guys make: They think they can drive in anywhere, and you can't. This is the toughest driving course. You have to get it in the right spots, keep it in play."

A three-time major champion and recent World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, Singh hit 10 greens for the second day in a row Friday and also hit 10 fairways. His putting has been exceptional; only once has he three-putted while needing just 26 putts Friday and 54 overall. He offset three bogeys with four birdies -- three of them on par 5s.

"He's playing well. He's doing a lot of things well, keeping it kind of in front of him," said Brett Quigley, who was paired with Singh the first two days. "When he does make a mistake he manages to get it around still, but he doesn't make a big mistake, which is big out here."

Winner earlier this year at the Mercedes-Benz Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, Singh has been in the upper tier in nearly every tournament he has entered in 2007. The former No. 1 player in the world hasn't missed a cut.

In 2000, Singh was one of the few who weathered a fierce cold front that sent third-round scores soaring. Saturday's forecast calls for increasingly blustery weather, though still no rain. "If they don't water the course, it could really hard," he said.

Asked if the inclement weather, which helped him in '00 was a good omen, Singh replied, "I don't know; that was so long ago."

Maybe so, but so far this season, he's shown that he hasn't forgotten how to win.