Blog: You've got to play hurt

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Editor's note: PGATOUR.com will have a blog from a different player each week during the 2009 season. So we thought it was only fitting to kick things off with Vijay Singh, who won three times last year on the way to capturing the FedExCup. Singh, who is playing this week in the Mercedes-Benz Championship, made some news off the course Wednesday when he confirmed he would have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee next week.

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Vijay Singh will be taking a break after Kapalua to have knee surgery.

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KAPALUA, Hawaii -- I was going to take three weeks off anyway after the Sony Open, so this just means I'll be taking four weeks off instead. I'm having the surgery next Wednesday back home in Jacksonville, Fla. I think I tore the cartilage a few weeks ago going up and down all those hills when I won Tiger's tournament. Either that's when it happened, or it just got worse that week. It's arthroscopic surgery, though, so it shouldn't be that bad. The biggest problem with all of this is that I'm not going to be able to practice full out for at least three weeks, so I'm going to miss doing that.

It's not a big deal, though. I'd actually call it just a small bother, and in the long run I think the knee is going to be stronger. Besides, it's better that it happened now than it would be if I were having the surgery in the middle of the season. I'm going to come back strong, too. I'm targeting the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for my return and hopefully, I'm going to be 100 percent.

Golf is a very strenuous sport for the knees. The doctor says I'll be on crutches for a few days, and then I'll be ok. He says my legs are really strong, so that is a big advantage. I won't be hitting full shots for a while, of course, but I'll be still working out. I'll be doing a lot of rehab and getting stronger. It's only one knee so I can use the other. I'll still be working on my arms and my upper body, too. I'll probably be able to do a lot of putting and chipping, as well. I know people think all I do is practice. But who knows? I may watch some movies or something. I have a son who loves to play golf, so I'll probably watch him play and try to teach him a little bit, too.

This isn't a big setback or anything. I still am really looking forward to this year. I am just going to take one extra week off. I feel good right now. I'm playing well. The swing is good. Someone asked me today if I still feel like the best putter in the world. I don't feel like it -- I am. This is the week I think I have a good chance of winning. I'm playing well. I feel good about this golf course. I've done well here before. So we'll see what happens.