Courty
4th May 2004, 09:02 PM
FIJI's Vijay Singh had five birdies and an eagle over the final eight holes to erase a six-stroke deficit and win the New Orleans Classic today.
US PGA money champion Singh seized this year's money lead from Masters champion Phil Mickelson by winning for the second Monday in a row, storms delaying the final round by a day here as well as last week in Houston.
"I think it's a good day for me," said Singh, who has won the US PGA's past three Monday finishes and four in his career.
"I don't think it's got to do with Monday. It's just coincidence that I played well."
Second-ranked Singh made his case for dethroning Tiger Woods from the top spot, although the American remains well ahead in the world golf rankings.
"You are not going to lose any spots winning golf tournaments, but it's very hard to catch Tiger," said Singh. "His points are so high up there and when he comes out, he always performs very well."
Singh fired a nine-under par 63, one stroke off his career-best round, to finish on 22-under 266, one stroke ahead of Mickelson and fellow American Joe Ogilvie, who is convinced there is no better player in the world than Singh.
"What can you say? I mean, that's why he is probably the best player in the world right now," said Ogilvie
"I knew he was around, but I didn't know he was going to shoot seven-under on the backside."
Singh, who also won earlier this year at Pebble Beach, said it would take five or six victories a year to replace Woods as No.1.
But by winning $918,000, Singh was able to leap past Mickelson into the money lead with more than $4.25 million.
Singh, 41, overcame windy weather and an extra's day's wait through the rain to capture the crown.
"It's not easy to go out there and shoot 29 any day, especially on the final day," he said. "The conditions were not easy, the wind started picking up. I played well and putted well."
Singh, who trailed by six strokes when he made the turn, sank a 25-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to grab the lead, aided by a read from a previous putt by playing partner Hidemichi Tanaka of Japan.
"He was just to the right of me and he just broke left, so I thought, 'Go ahead, you know the line, just make a good putt,"' said Singh.
But Singh's 17th PGA title was not clinched until Ogilvie's 45-foot bunker blast hung on the left edge of the cup on the final hole.
"I thought it was going to break a little bit right," said Ogilvie. "I thought if I missed it at all, I was going to miss right and not left."
Ogilvie settled for a career-best paycheck of $448,000, nearly three times his season total. He admitted to being more concerned with the paycheck than the triumph.
"You hate to say it as a player but I was thinking if I make bogey it's going to cost me 100 grand at one point," he said. "Hopefully I'll get there and this will certainly help. But for us little people that does come into play."
Mickelson birdied three of the last four holes, including a 20-footer at the finish, but ended up a stroke short in his first start since capturing his first Major title last month at the Masters.
Singh closed within a stroke of Ogilvie when he eagled the par-5 15th.
"If I made a birdie there, I may still not have won," he said. "I think that kind of tightened up the guys behind me as well."
Mickelson birdied the 15th to get within two strokes of Ogilvie and Singh put his approach at the par-4 16th inside two feet for a tying birdie. Mickelson answered with a birdie at 16 to close within a shot.
Ogilvie was standing over his final tee shot when he heard noise coming from the 18th green. He ended up pushing his drive into thick rough to the right of the fairway and later said he should have backed off.
After putting his approach into a greenside bunker, Ogilvie narrowly missed his desperation birdie attempt, giving Singh an unlikely win.
Tanaka was fourth on 269, two strokes ahead of England's Justin Rose and American Charles Howell with South Korea's K.J. Choi, Trinidad's Stephen Ames and American Brian Bateman on 272.
Wow, that's some great shooting! :shock:
US PGA money champion Singh seized this year's money lead from Masters champion Phil Mickelson by winning for the second Monday in a row, storms delaying the final round by a day here as well as last week in Houston.
"I think it's a good day for me," said Singh, who has won the US PGA's past three Monday finishes and four in his career.
"I don't think it's got to do with Monday. It's just coincidence that I played well."
Second-ranked Singh made his case for dethroning Tiger Woods from the top spot, although the American remains well ahead in the world golf rankings.
"You are not going to lose any spots winning golf tournaments, but it's very hard to catch Tiger," said Singh. "His points are so high up there and when he comes out, he always performs very well."
Singh fired a nine-under par 63, one stroke off his career-best round, to finish on 22-under 266, one stroke ahead of Mickelson and fellow American Joe Ogilvie, who is convinced there is no better player in the world than Singh.
"What can you say? I mean, that's why he is probably the best player in the world right now," said Ogilvie
"I knew he was around, but I didn't know he was going to shoot seven-under on the backside."
Singh, who also won earlier this year at Pebble Beach, said it would take five or six victories a year to replace Woods as No.1.
But by winning $918,000, Singh was able to leap past Mickelson into the money lead with more than $4.25 million.
Singh, 41, overcame windy weather and an extra's day's wait through the rain to capture the crown.
"It's not easy to go out there and shoot 29 any day, especially on the final day," he said. "The conditions were not easy, the wind started picking up. I played well and putted well."
Singh, who trailed by six strokes when he made the turn, sank a 25-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to grab the lead, aided by a read from a previous putt by playing partner Hidemichi Tanaka of Japan.
"He was just to the right of me and he just broke left, so I thought, 'Go ahead, you know the line, just make a good putt,"' said Singh.
But Singh's 17th PGA title was not clinched until Ogilvie's 45-foot bunker blast hung on the left edge of the cup on the final hole.
"I thought it was going to break a little bit right," said Ogilvie. "I thought if I missed it at all, I was going to miss right and not left."
Ogilvie settled for a career-best paycheck of $448,000, nearly three times his season total. He admitted to being more concerned with the paycheck than the triumph.
"You hate to say it as a player but I was thinking if I make bogey it's going to cost me 100 grand at one point," he said. "Hopefully I'll get there and this will certainly help. But for us little people that does come into play."
Mickelson birdied three of the last four holes, including a 20-footer at the finish, but ended up a stroke short in his first start since capturing his first Major title last month at the Masters.
Singh closed within a stroke of Ogilvie when he eagled the par-5 15th.
"If I made a birdie there, I may still not have won," he said. "I think that kind of tightened up the guys behind me as well."
Mickelson birdied the 15th to get within two strokes of Ogilvie and Singh put his approach at the par-4 16th inside two feet for a tying birdie. Mickelson answered with a birdie at 16 to close within a shot.
Ogilvie was standing over his final tee shot when he heard noise coming from the 18th green. He ended up pushing his drive into thick rough to the right of the fairway and later said he should have backed off.
After putting his approach into a greenside bunker, Ogilvie narrowly missed his desperation birdie attempt, giving Singh an unlikely win.
Tanaka was fourth on 269, two strokes ahead of England's Justin Rose and American Charles Howell with South Korea's K.J. Choi, Trinidad's Stephen Ames and American Brian Bateman on 272.
Wow, that's some great shooting! :shock: