Longer courses no great problem: Vijay Singh

Singh winner of the 2000 Masters and seventh at Augusta last weekend, said lengthening of the course this year did not have a negative effect on his game.

"I don't think so," he said, when asked whether golfers found the new layout at Augusta a major hurdle.

Nine of Augusta's holes were lengthened after last year's Masters and the par-72 course, playing at 7,270 yards, was the fifth longest layout in major championship history.

"The balls, the equipment we are using has all changed," Singh said in a video-conference from his Florida base. "All of us are physically fit, we work out much better than we did 10 years ago."

The 39-year-old had to cancel his planned trip to play in a skins event in New Delhi this weekend because of a foot injury that will keep him out of competitive golf for three weeks.

The world number seven said the injury did not affect his play at the Masters, where he was undone by a poor final round of 76.

Singh was lying second until he dropped his third shot of the final day at the 14th.

The tall Fijian then twice found the water in front of the green at the par-five 15th on his way to a quadruple-bogey nine to crash down the leader board and finish seventh at five-under 283.

"I felt weak after 10-15 holes, but it didn't affect my golf, my technique," he said.

Singh said his foot trouble flared up three months ago and gradually grew worse and he now needs pain-killers. He said that walking on the rain-swept Augusta course aggravated the condition.

"It's like a heel spur, like a needle poking up," he said.

Singh, who is of Indian origin, said he had looked forward to playing golf with former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev, a scratch handicapper, whom he admired as a top all-rounder in the 1980's.

"Cricket and golf has lot of similarities. He was a good batsman and will have lot of power in his swing," he said.