It Was Vijay Day at the Masters

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AUGUSTA, Ga. - Settled snugly in his newly donned green jacket, Vijay Singh was asked what he would serve at next year's Masters champions' dinner.

"That's a surprise," he smiled.

No kidding.

The conclusion of yesterday's 64th Masters was stocked with surprises, and Singh authored the majority of them with his once-shaky shortstick.

Augusta National has had a long-standing soiree with golf's greatest putters. From Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus to Ben Crenshaw and Jose Maria Olazabal, the game's best clutch putters always seemed to have the right of way on Magnolia Lane.

Despite all the talk about long hitters who could shape high approach shots, the Masters usually devolved into a glorified short-game contest. And Singh, for all his rangy tee-to-green prowess, was never considered a serious contender at Augusta because nobody thought him capable of coping with the world's slickest set of putting surfaces.