SINGH ZINGS FIELD WITH FIVE-SHOT WIN, LEADS CUP RACE
NORTON, Mass. — Another victory for Vijay Singh is turning the Fed- Ex Cup into another snoozer.
Singh made three long birdie putts and closed with an 8-under-par 63 to win the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday for his second straight victory in the PGA Tour’s playoff system. That gave him such a big lead that he could win the $10 million prize without even showing up at the Tour Championship.
Singh rolled in a 35-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole to stretch his lead to three shots, then raised the belly putter like a trophy when he holed a 60-foot birdie putt on the next hole. He capped off his amazing run with a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.
Mike Weir, who had a one-shot lead until a double bogey on the ninth hole, closed with a 71 to finish five shots behind at 267, dropping his record to 1-9 on the PGA Tour when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead.
Singh has 120,500 points, giving him a 12,225-point lead over Sergio Garcia, who tied for fifth.
This was the final tournament before U.S. captain Paul Azinger makes four picks to fill out his Ryder Cup team. He will announce his picks this morning in New York.
Schumacher sets NHRA records
CLERMONT, Ind. — Five-time champion Tony Schumacher capped off a historic performance at the 54th Mac Tools U.S. Nationals with his decisive final-round win over longtime foe Doug Kalitta.
Schumacher set NHRA top fuel records for wins in a row (six) and wins in a season (11), and he 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.
The other winners were: Robert Hight (funny car), Dave Connolly (pro stock) and Steve Johnson (pro stock motorcycle).
Stolis Winner wins Futurity
RUIDOSO DOWNS, N.M. — Stolis Winner won a sizzling stretch duel against previously unbeaten Jet Black Patriot to capture the $1.9 million All American Futurity.
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.
Jet Black Patriot, trying to become the first Louisiana-bred quarter horse to win the breed’s most coveted race, had the lead through the first half of the race. Stolis Winner stayed with him, then put on a strong kick over the final 200 yards to hit the finish line a half-length in front in 21.178 seconds. Jess Zoomin overcame some bumping and a troubled trip to finish third.
Footnotes.
New Mexico State forward Herb Pope is leaving the school’s basketball program.
• Koby Clemens, a son of Roger Clemens, and two other minor-league teammates were arrested early Sunday morning and briefly jailed after a disturbance at a restaurant in Salem, Va. Clemens was charged with disorderly conduct.
• Manchester City agreed to a takeover by a United Arab Emirates business group, ending former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s brief ownership of the Premier League soccer club.
The Associated Press
