Red-hot Singh tames Tiger
Vijay Singh tied a course record for lowest front-nine score en route to a nine-under-par 63 and a five-shot lead over Zach Johnson after the third round of the Buick Open.
Paired with Tiger Woods, who wowed the crowds with his 11-under 61 in the second round, Singh showed he had the same sort of golf in him. He shot a sizzling 29 on the front nine at Warwick Hills, pulling away from the world’s top-ranked player with seven birdies.
The defending champion, Singh started his round with three birdies and added two more after a par on the fourth. The worst stroke on his front nine was a pulled birdie putt from about three feet on the par-five seventh, but he responded with another pair of birdies.
Singh finished at 22-under 194 as he built his lead from one shot over Woods to five over Johnson. He has a shot at the PGA Tour records for lowest scores in relation to par.
It did not take long to see that Woods’ third round would be drastically different from his second. He started with a par before carding three consecutive bogeys to fall six shots behind Singh.
Woods breathed some life into his round with a great sand save at the seventh for his first birdie of the day. He added another birdie at the ninth.
Known as a great grinder who can make something out of nothing, Woods carded three birdies starting on the 12th. The run included a birdie on the par-five 13th after he found the water with his approach.
Woods also birdied 16, but a wayward tee shot and approach over the trees into a bunker on 18 led to a bogey and a two-under 70 that left him eight shots off the pace in a tie for fourth. His biggest final-round comeback was from five strokes at the 2000 Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Amazingly, Singh outplayed Woods by seven shots and his round could have easily been even better. He missed another two-foot birdie on the back nine, bogeyed the par-five 16th and played his final five holes at even par.
Johnson shot a seven-under 65 and is alone in second at 17-under 199, two shots better than Chris DiMarco, who signed for a 66. Geoff Ogilvy and Sean O’Hair are tied with Woods.
England’s Justin Rose shot a three-under-par 69 and is in a tie for 49th on seven-under 209, 15 behind Singh.
