Sport

Singh takes Tiger's crown

Golf Digest Vijay Singh was last night crowned winner of the PGA Tour money list in the US Tour Championship in Houston.

Mon Nov 10 2003 - 00:00

Golf DigestVijay Singh was last night crowned winner of the PGA Tour money list in the US Tour Championship in Houston.

Only a victory for nearest challenger Tiger Woods could have denied 40-year-old Singh his first Arnold Palmer award.

That was never really on the cards and the formalities were completed when Woods stumbled to a final round 74 and one-over-par total of 285 at Champions Golf Club, lying 26th in the 31-strong field.

Singh still had three holes of his final round to play but was on course for his 11th top-10 finish in his last 12 events.

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American Chad Campbell was on course to claim the $1.08 million first prize, the US PGA Championship runner-up enjoying a four-shot lead with six holes to play.

Campbell began the day one shot ahead of the field after a stunning 61 on Saturday, and quickly stretched his lead with birdies at the second, fifth and eighth.

For the second day running he then eagled the par five ninth before dropping his first shot of the day on the 11th.

Compatriots Chris Riley and Charles Howell were his nearest challengers on 13-under.

Darren Clarke was having another indifferent day with one early birdie cancelled out by three bogeys. The Dungannon golfer was two-over for his round and two-under for the tournament playing the last.

It was just good enough to leave him in sole position of 18th place.

India's Arjun Atwal claimed his sixth Asian PGA Tour title with a one-shot victory at the Hero Honda Masters in New Delhi yesterday, becoming the first player in tour history to move past $1 million in career earnings.

Atwal (31), who stays on track for the 2003 Asian order of merit crown with just four events remaining, closed with a 71 at the Delhi Golf Club. That left the Calcutta professional on seven-under-par 281, with the winner's purse of $48,450 lifting his career tally in Asia to $1,016,352.

"Having achieved the milestone of becoming the first Asian to win a million dollars is nice, but what matters more is the fact that I have won the title," said Atwal, who won the event in 2000.