Singh holds off Daly in playoff at Humble
HUMBLE, Texas – Vijay Singh waited patiently for a break in the final round of the Shell Houston Open. John Daly finally gave him a big one on the first extra hole.
Taking advantage of Daly’s playoff drive that skipped into the water, Singh overcome putting problems and a long birdie drought to win the tournament for the second straight year and third time in four years.
“I’m really pleased with the way I hung in there and never gave up,” Singh said. “Fortunately for me nobody came out of the pack except for John and kind of made a run at it. It was a good way to finish.”
Daly, who birdied the final two holes for a 5-under 67 to match Singh at 13-under 275, sent his drive on the first extra hole, the par-4 18th, into the water. Then, after a drop, Daly sent his third over the green.
“I’m proud of myself for coming back like that and hitting some shots when I needed to,” Daly said. “I wished I could have done better in the playoff.”
Singh, who had only two birdies in his closing 70, calmly made a par for his 26th PGA Tour victory and second of the year.
The 42-year-old Fijian earned $900,000 to pass Tiger Woods for second place on the money list with $3,836,413, just $6,043 behind leader Phil Mickelson. Singh also pushed his career total to $40.5 million, second only to Woods.
Jose Maria Olazabal (70) finished third at 11 under, and Darren Clarke (67) and Greg Owen (72) tied for fourth at 10 under.
Joe Oglivie (71) was next at 9 under, followed by six players at 8 under, including third-round co-leader Gavin Coles (75) and Jeff Maggert (71), who has finished second at this event three times.
Singh, recently elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, couldn’t slam the door on Daly in regulation when his birdie attempt at 18 rolled just past the cup after a brilliant approach from the far right side to 8 feet of the flag.
LPGA Tour
Sweden’s Carin Koch won the Corona Morelia Championship in Morelia, Mexico, for her second LPGA Tour victory, beating France’s Karine Icher by six strokes.
The 34-year-old Koch, also the 2001 Corning Classic winner, closed with her second straight 1-under 71 to finish at 9-under 279.
Icher shot a 70.
Koch took control with a birdie on the par-5 15th, then watched as third-round co-leader Wendy Ward, from Edwall, Wash., dropped out of contention with a triple bogey on No. 16. Ward, the winner last week in Las Vegas, finished with a 78 to tie for third with Scotland’s Catriona Matthew (72) at 2 under.
Lorena Ochoa, who won twice last year to become the LPGA Tour’s first Mexican-born champion, shot a 73 to tie for 16th at 5 over.
European PGA Tour
Australia’s Adam Scott won the Johnnie Walker Classic in Beijing, finishing with an even-par 72 for a three-stroke victory over South Africa’s Retief Goosen.
Scott finished at 18-under 270 on the Pine Valley course in the event sanctioned by European, Asian and Australasian tours.
Champions Tour
Ireland’s Des Smyth shrugged off wind and cold weather in Savannah, Ga., to win for the second time on the Champions Tour this season, a two-stroke victory over Tom Jenkins in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.
Smyth, who won the SBC Classic in March in California, shot a 1-under 71 for an 8-under 208 total on The Club at Savannah Harbor. He earned $382,000.