Vijay Singh Makes Sony Open Cut as Si Woo Kim Leads International Finishers

The 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii belonged to Chris Gotterup, who closed with 64 to win at 16-under. In January's International Presidents Cup conversation, the more relevant story was quieter: Si Woo Kim finished T11 at 10-under, while Vijay Singh made the cut at age 62 and finished T40 at 5-under.

Those results preceded the completed Presidents Cup at Medinah, where the United States won 17–13 in September. Singh's season later supplied another longevity story: his SAS Championship victory on October 18.

Kim's top-11 finish came from steady scoring across all four rounds. It gave the International Team an early indication of form at a course where positioning and controlled approaches create opportunities, rather than one where driving distance alone can determine the leaderboard.

Singh's Longevity Still Resonates

Singh's week was not a 2026 roster story. He did not play on Geoff Ogilvy's team at Medinah. It was still relevant because the Presidents Cup has a long institutional memory, and Singh is one of the International Team's defining figures.

The PGA TOUR noted that Singh made the Sony Open cut at 62, using his career money exemption to regain PGA TOUR access for the season. Sports Illustrated cited the TOUR's note that he was the oldest player to make a TOUR cut since Fred Couples at the 2023 Masters. That is a genuine achievement, not just nostalgia.

The useful lesson is not that Singh is a candidate. It is that International Team culture is built across generations. When a player with Singh's resume still competes respectably against a younger field, it reinforces the standard younger International players are trying to inherit.

Si Woo Kim's T11 Was the Real Team Signal

Si Woo Kim's T11 was the more practical Medinah data point. Waialae is not a Medinah replica, but it rewards discipline, positioning, and wedge control. Kim's four rounds of 69-66-68-67 gave him a steady start to the year and kept him near the top tier of International finishers in the PGA TOUR season opener.

That was the kind of result Ogilvy needed from players who might sit between automatic selections and captain's picks. Kim already owned a strong Presidents Cup identity: experienced, emotionally expressive, and capable of producing momentum swings in match play. The early-season question was whether he could reduce volatility enough to be trusted across more than one session type.

Sony did not answer every part of that question. It did show that his game was competitive immediately after the calendar turned.

Matsuyama and the Wider Picture

Hideki Matsuyama also made the cut and finished down the board, according to the PGA TOUR leaderboard. That is not alarming in isolation. A single January result rarely changes how a captain views a player of Matsuyama's stature. Still, the International Team needs more than one star carrying the early-season conversation.

The best outcome from Waialae, then, was depth. Singh provided a reminder of the team's past. Si Woo Kim provided the usable current signal. Gotterup's win also underlined the American side's growing pool of in-form options, which raises the standard for every International hopeful.

Medinah Meaning

Si Woo Kim's T11 supplied current scoring form for the International Team, while Singh's made cut reflected the longevity of one of its most experienced past players. Gotterup's win added an emerging American winner to the same early-season picture, showing the different ways the two sides were building toward Medinah.

The January result provided an early measure of form. A stronger selection case would require further contention over the following months, particularly on courses with different demands from Waialae. Consistency across that stretch would help show how much of the performance could carry into team golf.

October: Singh Wins the SAS Championship

On October 18, Singh won the SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, North Carolina. Three rounds of 69 gave him a 9-under total of 207, two shots ahead of Ernie Els.

Singh was 63 by the time of the SAS Championship. It was his sixth PGA TOUR Champions title and his first since the 2023 Ally Challenge. That win belongs to the senior circuit, separate from his January appearance against the Sony Open field.

Together, the two results give his year a clearer shape: a made cut on the PGA TOUR early in the season, followed by a trophy on PGA TOUR Champions. For the International Team's younger players, his continuing competitiveness supplies a link to one of the side's established past generations.