Trophy time for Vijay

Tiger Woods is still enjoying his honeymoon and staying away from golf for a while. In all likelihood, he will return for the final event of the season "" the Tour Championships, to be held at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta between November 4 and November 7.

But in the meantime, it is time for Vijay Singh to start collecting the trophies. The first of them rolled in last week with Vijay clinching the PGA Player of the Year award for the first time in his career.

The 41-year-old Fijian, who will also claim the Money List honours this year, can probably look forward to winning a few more in the next few weeks.

For instance, there will be the Harry Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average, which he should clinch as long as he has no incomplete rounds in the next couple of events.

He currently has an adjusted scoring average of 68.92 per round for 98 rounds. Then, there is the Players' Player of the Year award, which is based on his rivals' voting for who they think has been the best sportsman of this year.

Last year, Tiger won that award for the fifth time in a row despite Vijay winning the Money List. But after winning eight titles and a kitty approaching $10 million for the season, Vijay is certain to win that honour this year.

The PGA Player of the Year award, instituted in 1948, is determined by a point system for tournament wins, money standing and scoring average. The points are taken for the season starting January 1 till the end of the Tour Championships.

This week, Vijay is playing at the Funai Classic at the World Disney Resort before heading for the Tour Championships. In between, he is also expected to play at the Chrysler Classic. The three events have a total purse of $15.2 million, with $2.736 million going to the winners.

As for Vijay's record in the three events, he won the Funai Classic in 2003 and was second in the Chrysler Championship. He has never finished lower than third the three times the Tour Championships has been held at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, which includes one win in 2002.

At present, Vijay has 140 points. The closest is Phil Mickelson with 75 and Ernie is next with 63. Even if he won the Funai Classic, the Chrysler Championship and the Tour Championship, Mickelson cannot overtake Vijay.

Vijay's amazing total of 140 comes from 100 points for victories, including 30 for his win in the PGA Championship in August, along with 70 for his seven other titles. He also received 20 points for leading the season's Money List and 20 more points for leading the Vardon Trophy scoring race.

Vijay's great year has other milestones to look forward to. Currently, he has earnings of $9,455,566, and needs $544,434 from the Funai Classic, the Chrysler Championship and the Tour Championship. So, that should be a canter.

The previous record was held by Tiger Woods, who won $9.188 million in 2000, the year he won three Majors. Plus, Vijay wants to see if he can get to 10 titles, for which he needs to win two of the last three.

In terms of World Golf Rankings, Vijay has a lead of almost two points over Woods "" Vijay's average is 13.48 while Woods is in the third position at 11.53. Ernie Els is at 12.12 while Mickelson, ranked four, is way behind at 7.88.

While Vijay is continuously raising the bar, the Funai and the Chrysler Classic mean a lot to those above 100 in the Money List on the PGA Tour. Sure, the top 30 fight is for a spot on the Tour Championships and the top 40 will get to the Masters. But those struggling way behind them are fighting to save their card.

In the past, the Tour card has gone for just under $500,000. This time, it is likely to go up to $600,000, which indicates increased competitiveness. Those who do not make it to the top 125 will go back to the Qualifying School, which is a nerve-wracking experience.