Fiji’s Vijay Singh won a head-to-head match-up with Tiger Woods to end the American’s record reign atop golf’s ultimate leaderboard.
Singh shot a 69 to beat Woods and Adam Scott by three strokes in the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday, clinching the number-one ranking in the world with his sixth victory of the year. Woods had been first for more than five years — a record 264 consecutive weeks.
Singh took a three-stroke lead into the final round, but he and Woods were tied at 13 under after Singh bogeyed number 13 at the par-71, 6 780m TPC of Boston. Woods bogeyed the next hole and Singh birdied 15 to pull ahead by two strokes before adding birdies on the final two holes to finish 16 under and win the $900 000 first prize.
”It feels great,” said Singh, who has won the last eight times he took a lead into the final round. ”I can’t wait to celebrate.”
Scott, the defending champion, started the day seven strokes behind Singh before making the turn with four consecutive birdies to get into contention. He birdied the 18th hole to finish 13 under, and Woods matched him; John Rollins and Daniel Chopra were another two strokes back at minus 10.
Singh is the top winner on the tour this year with six victories, including the PGA Championship, and $7 889 566 in earnings. He needed only to finish ahead of Woods to take over the number-one ranking that he has been closing in on all year.
The computer rankings factor in performance over the past two years, taking the strength of field into account; Woods held a 12,09-11,91 lead heading into this week. The new numbers were expected to be released later Monday, but Singh’s will be the first player other than Woods to hold the number-one ranking since August 8 1999.
”That’s not too bad, is it?” Woods asked. ”I’ve had a good run.”
Singh improved to 15 under with a birdie on the first hole; Woods left a 4,5m putt on the rim of the cup.
On the second hole, a par-five, 506m dogleg right, both players got into trouble. Singh couldn’t find his ball and took a drop, hit to 4,5m of the pin and then two-putted for bogey; Woods found his among the rocks in front of the green, but when he swung at the ball he hit a rock instead, jamming his wrist, breaking his club and costing himself a stroke.
Shaking off the pain, he punched his way up the hill, chipped on to the green and two-putted from 5,5m for a bogey.
”It hurt all day,” Woods said.
Singh birdied number 10 to move back to minus 14 and then Woods moved back within a stroke with a birdie on number 12, chipping in from 20m. But by this time, Scott had moved just one stroke behind Woods with four consecutive birdies, making putts of 5m, 6m, 3,5m and 2,5m to get to minus 12.
Singh hit his second shot over the green on the par-four 13th, then two-putted from 2m for bogey to fall to 13 under, tied with Woods. But Woods missed a 3m putt for par on 14, three-putting for a bogey, and Singh knocked his second shot within 1,25m on 15 for birdie; Woods missed a 6m putt to keep pace. — Sapa-AP