NEWS RELEASE
Injury forces Vijay Singh to miss Asian events
Ordered to rest after forearm tendinitis
JOHOR BAHRU (Tuesday, Sept 30, 2008) - World No. 3, Vijay Singh, has pulled out of two major tournaments in Asia next month because of a forearm injury.
Tendinitis in Singh's left forearm will cause him to miss the Iskandar Johor Open here from Oct 30-Nov 2 here and the HSBC Champions in Shanghai from Nov 6-9.
In a statement issued today, the winner of Sunday's 2008 FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour said doctors had ordered him to rest to reduce the impact of the injury for the 2009 season.
(Tendinitis is the inflammation, irritation and swelling of the forearm due to overuse, injury (strain or tear) and/or aging of the tendon).
"I am very disappointed to miss the IJO and the HSBC events as I was looking forward to returning to Asia this fall," said Singh.
"As disappointing as it will be to miss the tournaments, it is important that I follow my doctor’s instruction and do what is best for my long-term health," he added.
Singh won three events in 2008, including the Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship during the FedEx Cup playoffs to win the second edition of the PGA Tour"s playoff competition. The victories put him in third place in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Meanwhile, IJO organizing committee chairman Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman wished Singh speedy recovery and hoped he would be able to make it for IJO 2009.
"We are obviously also very disappointed. But I understand from his manager that his injury is serious and will need two months of rest," noted Ghani, who is also Johor Menteri Besar..
"We wish him speedy recovery and although he will not be able to make it to our shores this year, we hope that he will make it to the IJO next year," he added.
Ghani stressed however that all preparations for the IJO were in full swing. "We are looking into the feasibility of engaging another player of equal standing as Singh to sign up for the championship," he said.
The IJO, which offers total prize money of US$500,000 (RM1.7 million), has already attracted some of the top Asian Pros and local talents such as Ben Leong and Airil Rizman.
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