PONTE VEDRA BEACH (Florida) - VIJAY Singh, last year's US PGA Tour playoff champion and top money winner, will miss the next three weeks of the season after undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery.

Singh, who pulled out of this week's PGA event in Hawaii, had surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Wednesday.

The Fijian, a three-time major champion who turns 46 next month, expects to return to the circuit at the Pebble Beach National Pro Am that begins on February 9.

Original estimates had him sidelined at least two weeks longer.

'The doctor says I'll be on crutches for a few days, and then I'll be OK,' Singh said.

'I don't consider this a big setback or anything. I think the knee will be much stronger in the long run and it is certainly better that it happened now compared to the middle of the season.'

Singh, who finished 27th at last week's season opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, won three events last season. He has 56 career titles and last year became only the second player to reach $60 million (S$89.7 million) in career earnings.

He joins Tiger Woods on the injured golf star list.

Woods, a 14-time major champion, has been sidelined since winning the US Open last June following knee surgery but is expected back before the Masters next April. -- AFP