TPC NOTES

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Watch out for Vijay Singh this weekend at The Players Championship, a home of sorts to him because he lives here.

Though most wouldn’t call being No. 7 on the money list with $1.42 million in earnings before the season’s first major a slump, the Fiji native hasn’t quite been feeling it of late. The last couple of years, he’s gotten off to couple of scorching starts.

“It’s kind of disappointing being up there [ranked No. 2 in the world behind Tiger Woods] and not feeling the same excitement that you feel, the same adrenaline that you felt a year ago,” Singh said yesterday. “Hopefully, I can get it back this week. My level of play has dropped, but not out of neglect or anything. That’s just the way it goes. Golf is as weird game.

“I’ve got to take the lows with the highs, and right now I’m not right up there. So I’m picking my game back up again. The disappointing part is I’m not competing every week like I did two years ago and last year.

“I saw a little glimpse last week, and I’m feeling good about the way I’m hitting the ball.”

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Rookie sensation Camila Villegas, who was the first alternate to get into the field this week, got in because of Chris DiMarco‘s withdrawl.

Villegas, who, like DiMarco, played his college golf at the University of Florida, is 15th on the money list this year with a couple of near-misses, including one at Doral two weeks ago.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, speaking yesterday about next year’s new tour schedule and the FedEx Cup, said plans are in the works to rotate the Barclays Classic out of the Westchester Country Club to other top courses in the area.

“We are in discussions with Westchester, where we’ve historically played the Barclays Classic, to change our arrangement with Westchester [CC] so we rotate in and out of Westchester,” Finchem said. “If we do that, we would take advantage of some of the other great golf courses in the New York area.”

Donald Trump is one golf-course owner who’s pining for a PGA Tour or USGA event at one of his courses, most likely his gem in Bedminster, N.J.

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Cannizzaro’s TPC picks

DAVIS LOVE III – He’s in decent form and has won here twice.

TIGER WOODS – Some 10 hours of flying to tend to his pop, and countless more than that worrying, and Woods might just show the world how mentally tough he is this weekend.

VIJAY SINGH – Swing is coming around. He loves this place, lives here and has yet to win here.

RICH BEEM – Solid ball striker whose game is pretty good right now. He’s due, because he’s never excelled on this course.

DAVID TOMS – Go with the hot hand. He’s playing very well right now.

-Mark Cannizzaro