Sport

Singh sets sights on money list after win

Vijay Singh pulled away from the field with a six-under-par 65 to win the rain-delayed John Deere Classic at Silvis, Illinois…

Tue Sept 16 2003 - 01:00

Vijay Singh pulled away from the field with a six-under-par 65 to win the rain-delayed John Deere Classic at Silvis, Illinois yesterday.

The Fijian, who began the day tied with J L Lewis for the lead, birdied three out of four holes from the 14th and finished on 16-under-par 268 to claim his third victory of the PGA Tour season.

Singh was four shots ahead of second-placed Americans Chris Riley, Jonathan Byrd and Lewis, who could manage only a round of even-par 71 at the TPC at Deere Run.

"I played well all week. . . and if I'm in the lead and playing well, I just have no worries of what can go wrong," Singh said. "I just go out there and play and trust the way I'm playing and hit the ball where I am aiming. That's what I did today."

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Playing in the final group with Lewis and Byrd, Singh had played five holes in two-under on Sunday as tournament officials tried to complete as much of the fourth round as possible before darkness.

With a birdie on the par-four eighth hole, Singh pulled ahead of Lewis and rattled off four more pars before starting his birdie run at the 14th.

The winner of 14 tour titles, Singh was happy with his performance. "I felt like I had control over the game, control over where the ball was going to go," he said. "The only thing that was holding me back the last four or five weeks was my putting.

"I didn't putt great today but I didn't putt badly. I made a few putts coming in and I guess if the pressure was a little off, I would have made more putts."

Singh climbed to world number three with the victory and the $630,000 first prize also boosted the Fijian's earnings for the year to more than $5.7 million, pushing him to the top of the US money list ahead of Davis Love III.

"My goal is to really be able to win the money list just once before I finish," said Singh. "This will probably be the best opportunity that I get.

"I have another three events in the States to go (before the end of the season). I just have to focus on that and see if I can pull another one off.

"If I can win one more time, I think I've got it sealed."