Singh continues remarkable form with HP Classic win
IN: News | US PGA | HP Classic of New Orleans (2004) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 04 May 2004
Just how good is he? Vijay Singh, in one of the most remarkable runs of form, has come from six behind at the turn to grab Joe Ogilvie virtually on the line, to win his third event of the season and claim his 18th PGA Tour career victory at the HP Classic of New Orleans.
The win will eat even further into the gap between he and Tiger Woods for the world number one ranking and create even further interest in this coming week's Wachovia Championship where both players are in the field.
Joe Ogilvie had done such a brilliant job to lead into round four and extend his lead with four birdies on the front side to head the field at that point by three over Charles Howell III, who himself was looking as a likely contender. Vijay, who was playing in the group ahead, was six back as he moved to the tenth tee and he would later say that he had told himself on the 10th tee that a good back nine could still get the job done. Some of that expectation may have been based on Ogilvie's limited experience in this situation on the PGA Tour. Ogilvie's tenacity down the stretch perhaps surprised many and in the end it was a case of Singh having to come and get him rather than vice versa.
Ogilvie has played often on the PGA Tour but it may well have been his year on the Nationwide Tour last year that gave him the capacity to head this field for so long. He was twice a winner last year, eventually finishing second on the money list and was so often in contention that this experience was perhaps not as foreign to him as many may have thought. He had struggled this year at the next level although his 19th place finish last week in Houston indicated that he was feeling more comfortable. His share of second with Mickelson will ensure sufficient money for him to play the rest of the year in the knowledge that he has security for 2005.
Singh's feats on the back nine today further highlighted a simply remarkable run of form. He lost his way just for a few weeks around the time of the Buick Invitational when there was so much of a spotlight on whether he could break the consecutive top ten record or not. He missed the cut there and then took another five events to record another top ten with a 6th place at the Masters and then followed with consecutive wins in the Shell Houston Open and now the HP Classic of New Orleans.
When asked about the key reasons for his current run of form, Singh suggested that he makes use of a solid fitness programme and that he feels comfortable making changes mid-round to compensate for a particular problem.
"I was missing a lot of tee shots left early in the round today but know my swing well enough now to have been able to change that mid round and it all fell into place," he said.
Phil Mickelson did a great job to back up from his US Masters win and the aftermath of that to share second with Ogilvie and he too heads to the Wachovia Championship where he will face Singh again and the return of Tiger Woods to competitive golf.
Hidemichi Tanaka was himself home in 32 to finish alone in fourth equalling his best previous finish on the PGA Tour. In his third season on the PGA Tour after qualifying via the Tour School in late 2001, Tanaka has safely held his card in each of those first two seasons and this fourth place here in New Orleans was his fourth such placing in that time. A prolific winner in Japan with fifteen titles to his name, Tanaka may now be ready to go the next level.
The leading Australians were James McLean and John Senden who shared 20th, Geoff Ogilvy 25th, Steve Allan and Andre Stolz 34th and Greg Chalmers 54th.
