NORTON // Vijay Singh, helped by three monster birdie putts, eased to his third PGA Tour title in five weeks with a commanding five-shot victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Three off the pace going into the last day on Monday, the Fijian world No 5 fired a superb eight-under-par 63 for a 22-under total of 262 to take the honours at the event in Boston.
Singh, 45, broke clear of a congested leaderboard with an outward nine of four-under 32 before tightening his grip with an astonishing display that saw him roll in putts on a course running fast and firm. On a day when the average score was only 72, Singh's sensational effort ensured that he was a more than deserving champion. He said: "It was a tough day but I drove the ball beautifully and kept the ball in play, never got myself into much trouble.
"I've never felt this comfortable on the greens. But I have been struggling all year but I had a good attitude change." The Canadian Mike Weir, one ahead going into the final round, surrendered the outright lead with a double-bogey at the ninth and had to settle for second place after closing with a 71 as he proved to be no match to the excellent play of Singh. The South African Ernie Els birdied the last for a round of 70 to share third place overall at 14 under with the Colombian Camilo Villegas (73).
Singh, who also triumphed at the same event in 2004 to end Tiger Woods's five-year reign as world No 1, travels to St Louis for this week's BMW Championship as the runaway FedExCup points leader. "I'm going to go out there and play really hard," he said. "Another win would be the icing on the cake, but I don't take anything for granted." * Reuters
