ESPN Golf

For Vijay Singh, the number could signify his jacket size, the one he wears at Augusta National every year when he returns as a former Masters champion. It could be the length of his driver, the one he uses to endlessly pound balls on the driving range.

Or it could be his age, which is the subject of far more conversation these days as golf's iron man begins another season as the defending champion at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

Next month, Singh turns 45, an age that typically signifies diminishing skills in golf -- if that process has not already started.

But to Singh, that really is just a number.

"Age does not really matter at the moment," Singh said on the eve of the 2008 season. "We sit back and joke about the age, but never really seriously think that age will ever matter.

"I'm pretty big size-wise, and if I get my body in good shape and in good tone, I think the size itself is going to make a big difference to how far I can hit the ball and how long I can stay out here and be competitive. Fred Funk won when he was 50, he won last year on tour, and if you look at Fred Funk's size and mine, there really is no comparison, how much bigger I am than him.

"I am a lot stronger, and hence I can last a lot longer. That's the advantage I've got."

All of which pretty much puts to rest the notion that Singh was going to take it easy and enjoy the fruits of his Hall of Fame career.

Certainly that would be an option for the man from Fiji who didn't make it to the PGA Tour until age 30 and has gone on to win 31 times, the most of any international player. He also has 19 victories since turning 40, surpassing the record held by Sam Snead.

But Singh was disappointed in his 2007 season, even though he won twice. After winning at Kapalua -- where he broke a five-year title drought in which he finished among the top five each time, including a playoff loss in 2006 -- and again in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Singh did not win again. He entered the PGA Tour playoffs second in the FedEx Cup points standings and never made a move, missing a cut at the Barclays, then finishing 60th at both the Deutsche Bank and BMW before a tie for seventh at the Tour Championship.

As it turns out, Singh was becoming frustrated with his swing. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship and had not been a factor at the British Open or U.S. Open.

"The golf swing went from a very good position at the top to a not-so-good position, so I had to change my takeaway to fix that," he said. "That took a long time to fix. Any time you change something so drastic like that, it takes longer than you think, and to grow comfortable with it, too. In the meantime, I've worked hard on it."

The work actually began during the FedEx Cup playoffs, which helps explain some of Singh's lackluster finishes. It continued in the "offseason," when Singh played three times overseas, including a victory in Korea.

He also changed fitness trainers, starting in July with Jeffrey Fronk, who used to work with the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars. Singh hasn't been hitting any blocking sleds, but a new approach to his workouts -- which includes jumping rope -- has him in fighting shape.

"That's something different that I've never done, and I enjoy it a lot more now," he said.

Singh also pledges to cut back a bit in 2008, which many will believe when they see it. Since 1998, he has never played fewer than 26 events on the PGA Tour, playing 29 in 2004, when he won nine times, and then teeing it up in 30 times in 2005, when he won four times. Each of the past two seasons, he played 27 tournaments.

"I don't rest like other guys," he said. "When I come back home, it's into the gym and really vigorous workouts and making sure that my golf swing still stays the same. I'm going to pick and choose my tournaments a little bit more. The few that I don't need to play, I won't be playing. I just [want] to be more ready when I get back out there and not feel tired after a good run. … It's going to be easier if I take a little bit more time off."

Still, look for Singh to come out firing. He's playing both events in Hawaii and is eager to get back to winning again.

"My expectations are pretty high," Singh said. "I don't like playing six months of the year and not winning a golf tournament. That was the downfall. I felt like I let myself down there.

"So this year I've changed my golf swing a little bit and just taken my physical condition to a different level. … If I can start the same way [as last year], it would be great, and just maintain it, maintain playing well. Every time I tee it up, I want to be able to compete, and that's my goal."

And when his birthday rolls around on Feb. 22? Just another day.

Bob Harig is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at BobHarig@gmail.com.