Singh won the 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania on Sunday for his third straight victory and eighth of the year. He planned to fly home Sunday night to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., a coastal city near Jacksonville, before leaving for the $7 million World Golf Championship event in Ireland.
Tournament organizers said Singh was not able to return home until Monday. He found that his home was without power and water was starting to enter the beachfront property.
This will be only the second time a World Golf Championship does not have the No. 1 player in the world. Most of the top players, including then No. 1 Tiger Woods, declined to go to Australia after the holidays for the 2001 Accenture Match Play Championship.
Singh’s withdrawal also means six of the top 50 in the world ranking will not play at Mount Juliet. Others who withdrew included Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry and Nick Price.
Mickelson, the Masters champion, cited fatigue after his disappointing performance at the recent Ryder Cup for his decision. He also withdrew from next month’s World Matchplay championship at Wentworth, England.
Singh’s withdrawal leaves the highest ranked players in the tournament No. 2 Woods and No. 3 Ernie Els. Woods won the 2002 event with a remarkable 25-under-par tournament. On perfectly manicured greens, Woods was only challenged in the final round when Retief Goosen managed to close the gap with a course record 62. Woods still had an opportunity to become the first player since Lee Trevino in 1974 to win without a dropping a single shot, but he bogeyed the last hole
when he was forced to back off an approach shot by a photographer.
Ireland will have four representatives in Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell, while only Colin Montgomeries and Ian Poulter of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team have failed to qualify for the tournament.
Chad Campbell, Jim Furyk, Davis Love, David Toms, Chris DiMarco, Stewart Cink, Jay Haas and Chris Riley are also in the field.