Singh one step closer to Tour Championship
Vijay Singh kept pouring in birdie putts, 35 feet on one hole and 60 feet on the next, as cheers turned from disbelief to sheer amazement.
That might be the last bit of excitement for this edition of the FedEx Cup.
Despite a volatile new points system designed to give more players a chance, Singh took the suspense out of the PGA Tour Playoffs with an 8-under 63 on Monday to win the Deutsche Bank Championship at Norton, Mass. It was his second straight victory, giving him such a large lead that he could wrap up the $10 million prize before the Tour Championship.
“Right now, my focus is going to be next week, and see if I can wrap it up,” Singh said.
Singh won The Barclays in a three-man playoff last week, convincing himself that he was the best putter in golf. He made even more believers on a gorgeous Labor Day south of Boston, making birdie putts of 35 feet, 60 feet and 35 feet on the back nine to turn this into a runaway.
“He played amazing. It was awesome,” said Sergio Garcia, who was paired with Singh and closed with a 72.
Tour officials said any of 24 players still have a mathematical chance – assuming Singh finishes last in the final two tournaments, and some of those guys win both events.
Don’t count on it.
Singh set tournament records with a five-shot victory over Mike Weir (71), finishing at 22-under 262, breaking by two shots the record set by Adam Scott in 2003. He collected $1.26 million, enough to finally replace Woods atop the money list at over $6.4 million. Woods has not played since season-ending surgery after the U.S. Open.
Singh has a 12,225-point lead over Garcia. That means Singh is assured of having the lead going into the Tour Championship, and another top finish might be enough to wrap up the title if none of the guys immediately behind him win in St. Louis next week.
Horse racing
Stolis Winner the victor
Stolis Winner won a sizzling stretch duel against previously unbeaten Jet Black Patriot to win the $1.9 million All American Futurity in Ruidoso Downs N.M.
Ridden by G.R. Carter, Stolis Winner outlasted Jet Black Patriot in the 440-yard sprint that became a match race right out of the gates. The win was the seventh out of eight races this year for Stolis Winner and was worth $1 million for owner Jerry Windham of College Station, Texas.
•Anak Nikal races to win: Anak Nikal surged ahead of the favorites to win the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park.
With 13-time Monmouth Park riding champion Joe Bravo in the saddle, the 3-year-old worked his way through traffic on the far turn, switched to the middle of the track in the home stretch and seized the lead within the shadow of the finish line.
•Art Official wins Cane Pace: Art Official won the $392,850 Cane Pace, beating Badlands Nitro by a half-length at Freehold Raceway in Freehold, N.J.
The Cane is the first leg of the pacing Triple Crown for 3-year-olds. The series continues with the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware, Ohio, fairgrounds Sept. 18 and concludes with the Messenger Stakes at Yonkers Raceway Oct. 25.
Miscellany
Rocket’s son arrested
The son of Roger Clemens and two of his minor league teammates on the Salem, Va., Avalanche were arrested early Sunday morning and briefly jailed after a disturbance at a restaurant in Salem.
In a news release, police said Koby Clemens, Mark Ori and Jimmy Goethals were arrested after police were called to the parking lot of a restaurant.
Clemens and Ori were charged with disorderly conduct. Goethals was charged with assault and battery.
•Schumacher sets NHRA records: Five-time champion Tony Schumacher capped a historic performance at the 54th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis with a decisive final-round win over longtime foe Doug Kalitta.
Schumacher set NHRA Top Fuel records for wins in a row (6) and wins in a season (11) and tied Joe Amato for most wins all-time in Top Fuel (52). It was also his seventh Mac Tools U.S. Nationals win and third in a row.
Other winners at the world’s most prestigious drag race, the 18th of 18 regular-season races in the NHRA POWERade Series, were Robert Hight (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle).