VIJAY Singh has been trying all year to show that at 43 he remains a winner at the highest level. Trying and failing.

But now, in the biggest week of the season so far, he has taken the lead at the Masters and a fourth major title is in his sights.

Only 11 days after a dreadful closing 77 in the Players Championship on his home course, Singh started at Augusta with a five-under-par 67 to be one in front of American Rocco Mediate, another 43-year-old.

It came as no surprise to find that hard work between the two events had turned it round for the 2000 champion. Nobody works harder.

"At TPC I saw a lot of bad things in my swing - and everybody and their friend started to tell me about my swing," said the Fijian.

"Afterwards I saw it on video and found out exactly what I was doing wrong. It was the same mistake I have been doing forever and I worked really hard last week to try to fix it. It's on the way, I guess!"

On the beefed-up course - at 7,445 yards now the second longest in major history - Singh came home in 32.

"The ball is going a long way. I had better not say that too loud. Maybe they will move it back 50 yards next year."

Eagle

Pre-tournament favourites Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson opened with 72 and 70 respectively, defending champion Woods following an eagle two on the 14th with a double bogey seven at the next.

First he sank a 163-yard eight-iron, then he dumped a wedge into the lake. But there was a reason. Woods' lay-up finished in a divot hole and he even considered thrashing the ball into the spectator stand before attempting the shot that he made a mess of.

"We have not played it in a while where it's been dry like this," said the world number one. "We were saying that it plays more like a US Open right now than it does a Masters.

"Lately we have been playing it soft and wet, with balls plugging in the fairway and picking up mud. Today it was quick and dry and the greens are picking up speed."

Darren Clarke had high hopes of a special round when he sank a bunker shot of around 100 feet for an eagle at the long second. But his other 17 holes were 16 pars and a double bogey on the 12th, where he put his tee shot in the water.

Others had to fight back after disappointing starts. Padraig Harrington, who duffed a chip, and Colin Montgomerie, who had to take a penalty drop from the bushes, both had sevens where Clarke made three, but finished with 73 and 74 respectively.

Luke Donald, third on his first trip last April, battled for a 74, but Paul McGinley could not recover from double-bogeying the first and shot 78, while Lee Westwood took 75 and former winners Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle ran up 77, 79 and 80 respectively.

Ireland's British amateur champion Brian McElhinney was also eight over playing with Tom Watson and Michael Campbell.

Arguably the round of the day was not Singh's, but 54-year-old Ben Crenshaw's 71 - his first sub-par score since his second win in 1995.

Who do you think will win? Have your say.