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 in Humble, Texas, 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 (he) 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-par 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.
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.
Jose Maria Olazabal (70) finished third at 11 under.
LPGA: 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. She earned $150,000.
Icher shot a 70.
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.
Champions: Ireland’s Des Smyth shrugged off unseasonable wind and cold weather to win for a two-stroke victory over Tom Jenkins in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in Savannah, Ga.
Smyth shot a 1-under 71 for an 8-under 208 total. Jenkins also shot 71.
European PGA: 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.
