It wasn't long ago -- only four years -- that Vijay Singh had supplanted Tiger Woods atop the World Rankings, thanks in part to a stretch of six wins in eight weeks that included the PGA Championship.

Now, as Singh heads into this week's PGA off his first win in 17 months, he's showing signs of playing the way he did back then -- not that he would ever admit it.

"That's four years ago," Singh objected Tuesday on a conference call from Detroit after a PGA practice round at Oakland Hills.

Since then, age, injuries and an increasingly balky putter conspired to send Singh's game in the wrong direction.

No matter how much he practiced -- and it's hard to believe anyone could practice more -- he wasn't getting any better. He slipped from first to second to seventh to 10th in the world rankings, going 34 tournaments without a win until he won last weekend.

Fans worried about the collapse of David Duval's game and lamented the rise, fall, rise and fall of John Daly. Few tears were shed for the notoriously surly Singh when his short, but impressive, period of dominance came to an end.

Singh was reasonably affable Tuesday, which could be a sign that at 45 he has changed more than his swing. That process started last August when he began tinkering with his backswing. He also changed personal trainers.

Just now, he's starting to see results.

"I was very uncomfortable with it at the beginning, but it was starting to come around this spring," Singh said. "Then I had a few injuries, including an injury to an abdominal muscle. That's always hard to come back from. When you breathe it hurts. When you sleep it hurts.

"But I always believed and swung the club well. I was feeling good and it was a matter of time before everything clicked. It's nice to happen before the PGA."

Coming off a dismal missed cut at the British Open, Singh took a week off and targeted a six-week stretch of tournaments that started with last week's win and includes next week's Wyndham Championship in Greensboro.

After years of indecision, he settled on a belly putter -- for now, at least. He won last weekend despite making less than half of his putts in the 4-8 foot range.

"It was just back and forth until the British," Singh said. "I was so uncomfortable with the short putter, I said, 'Why do I have to struggle with the short putter? I'm more comfortable with the belly putter.' And that was it. I practiced really good a few weeks ago and putted really well last week.

"I'm striking the ball good and making some putts. That's a good combination."

Here's another combination: With Woods still on the shelf this week and Singh's game coming around, it may be his best chance to capture a major since the 2004 PGA win at Whistling Straits.

Singh may scoff at any comparisons to four years ago, but his timing may be just about right.

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