Singh number one following Deutsche Bank win

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2004 Deutsche Bank Championship | Wrap | 07 Sep 2004

Following his win at the Deutsche Bank Championship today, Vijay Singh has finally made it to the top of the game, but as has often been said about being at the top in any walk of life, getting there is one thing, staying there is another.

While it is hardly likely that Singh will cop the scrutiny and dissection that has become so much part of Tiger’s life, he will now feel the heat of being top of the pile. As he showed today however, and has shown for several seasons now, he is a very much unflappable character and as was the case with Tiger, he seems to be a “number one” very much capable of coping with the good and bad that come with the title.

Quite simply Singh was brilliant today. Although he didn’t produce the fireworks of earlier in the week, the manner in which he handled what was a significant occasion was impressive.

After an early birdie which came from a statement making drive at the first, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Fijian but down the stretch when Tiger was coming at him, and when he had to get the job done, he was able to do just that.

There were several memorable shots over the closing stages. It would be easy to overlook the driving which was of the highest order and clearly important, but the ten foot putt he made for par at the 14th, after Tiger had holed one of the finest green side pitches ever seen, for birdie at the previous hole to draw level, was crucial. It became an even more critical blow when Tiger missed from just inside Singh and the gap was back to one.

Singh’s delightful second again from the middle of the fairway at the 15th, set up a five foot birdie putt and the lead was extended to two. A smart well executed five iron shot at the par three 16th, led to a no-frills par and then at the 17th with a two shot lead, he nailed a twenty five footer across the green which was travelling when it hit the cup, but went in for birdie to seal the deal.

Essentially whenever a door appeared to be open for Tiger, it was just as quickly closed by an almost mistake-free Singh.

While these two were closely watching each other, defending champion Adam Scott was slowly but surely sneaking up on them. After a bogey at the third, Scott went into overdrive and reeled off six birdies in eight holes between the 6th and 13th to move to twelve under and he was just one behind. Could it be that the man who had not been considered amongst all the talk of the Tiger/Vijay duel would spoil the party? That question was answered when Vijay released the brakes over the closing holes but it was a great attempt by the 24-year-old to defend his title.

Maybe this result will be good for the game. There is no doubt that during Tiger’s reign at the top he has elevated the game to a new level and has been almost solely responsible for raising prizemoney levels to where they are at right now. With the spotlight turned down a little and someone else to share the load, it is a fair bet that Tiger will be the one who is now being watched over Singh’s shoulder.

Tiger said later, and there was a feeling that it was more than just platitudes this time, that he felt that his swing was as good as it had been in a long while. The evidence was there for all to see. His bad shots were not the ones that have brought an angry reaction from Tiger but rather, were only marginally off line. His game is definitely coming around and with it the desire and excitement that became very much part of the Tiger psyche in the good days. He has now lost many of the ranking points he has worked so hard to defend and it is hard not to see him quickly returning to if not the force he was, then somewhere much closer to it than has been the case over the last eighteen months.

Finally on Tiger, a chance to congratulate him for the magnificent manner in which he has handled his time at the top of the game. Under the most constant and intense scrutiny he has hardly put a foot wrong in holding the mantle of the world’s number one golfer. Those who have taken the time occasionally to criticise him, should spend some time in his shoes in order to feel the pressure involved in constantly promoting himself and the game in the correct manner. He has been a credit to the game and the mantle he has held and there is every chance he will get that same opportunity once again before too long.

Other performances of note included the fine finishes by recent graduates from the amateur ranks in Bill Haas and Colombian Camilo Villegas. Haas’ 9th place finish has earned him a start in Canada next week and Villegas who is playing his sixth US PGA Tour event of the season and fifth on invite was 12th. Villegas had also finished 7th at the BC Open and with a start at the Canadian Open this coming week, his first few months in the paid ranks are going well.

David Duval finally showed us why he was the player deposed by Tiger as the number one player in the world in 1999, when his last round 67 got him into a share of 13th. This was the third cut he had made in his last twenty one starts and his first this year. There was genuine excitement and emotion in his post round interview. He lines up next week in Canada and we await with interest his performance there.

Of the other Australasians, Baddeley was best in 29th place, Mark Hensby was 37th, with John Senden and Craig Perks 48th.

The USPGA Tour now heads to Mississauga in Canada for the Canadian Open.