Singh sinks putt, wins his first WGC event
Vijay Singh raised both hands over his head when he saw his 3-foot par putt swirl into the cup for a 1-shot victory, a familiar sight for someone who has won 32 times on the PGA Tour.
This was more relief than celebration at the Bridgestone Invitational.
On the verge of throwing away a World Golf Championship, as Phil Mickelson had done ahead of him, Singh overcame some shaky putting Sunday on the back nine of Firestone by making the only one that mattered.
Three times in the last year he had at least a share of the 54-hole and failed to finish it off. Needing two putts from 30 feet to end an 0-for-34 drought on the PGA Tour, the last thing he wanted was the kind of putt that has given him fits.
But he trusted the countless hours of practice he spent last week on such a putt, and it paid off.
"What a relief," Singh said. "I didn't think I could finish it there at the end."
With par putts on the final two holes, Singh closed with a 2-under 68 to hold off hard-charging Lee Westwood and Stuart Appleby and the fast-fading Mickelson, who lost a 1-shot lead with three bogeys on his final four holes.
Singh captured his first World Golf Championship event and won for the 32nd time on the PGA Tour, putting him in the record books for most victories by an international player. He had been tied with Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper of England since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March 2007, a victory that seemed like a lifetime ago.
"Although I was hadn't won, I was confident I was going to win," Singh said. "I told everybody that knows me that it's just a matter of time; it's going to come. This was a six-week run, and I was geared up to win. I'm glad that it happened the first week out."
As shaky as Singh looked down the stretch, Mickelson fared even worse.
With his best chance to win a WGC title - especially with six-time Firestone champion Tiger Woods on the disabled list - Mickelson played bogey-free for 14 holes and had a 1-shot lead until taking bogey from the bunker on three of the last four holes, and watching yet another birdie putt from 10 feet hang on the edge. He closed with a 70 and tied for fourth with Retief Goosen (67).
U.S. Senior Open: The 29th U.S. Senior Open will be remembered for the black bears that menaced The Broadmoor's East Course in Colorado Springs, Colo. - and the one cat who conquered it. Eduardo "El Gato" Romero became the second Argentine golfer to hoist the silver cup, 28 years after Roberto De Vicenzo won the trophy at Winged Foot.
The 54-year-old Romero shot a final round 3-over 73 but was never seriously challenged by Fred Funk (75), who finished 4 strokes back. Romero was 6-under 274 for the tournament.
Women's British Open: What was billed as Annika Sorenstam's farewell to the majors turned into yet another showcase for the young stars from Asia.
Hours after Sorenstam walked up the 18th at the Women's British Open to a standing ovation and closed her final major with a birdie, Ji-Yai Shin won the last major of the year by 3 strokes after a final round 6-under 66 at Sunningdale, England. Shin, a 20-year-old South Korean, captured her first major with an 18-under 270.
Reno-Tahoe Open: Parker McLachlin shot a 2-over 74 and still cruised to his first PGA Tour victory by 7 strokes at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open in Reno, Nev. McLachlin, in his second season on the PGA Tour, recovered from trouble time after time to card 14 pars, 3 bogeys and a birdie on the 18th to finish the tourney at 18-under 270. Brian Davis and John Rollins tied for second at 11-under 277.