Forecast calls for Singh in rain today
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
KAPALUA, Maui — Chances are good that today's final round of the Mercedes Championships will be plagued by bad weather. Chances are better Vijay Singh won't give up his lead easily if at all. It's pretty clear he doesn't beat himself after nine wins last year and 54 mostly impeccable holes this year.
Matt York • Associated Press
Yesterday, Singh calmly clung to the advantage he has held all three rounds, parlaying another near-perfect ball-striking round, and two birdies and an eagle, into a 4-under-par 69 at the Plantation Course.
Vijay Singh, who shot a "disappointing 4-under," has not bogeyed a hole this week at Kapalua's Plantation Course.
At 19-under 200 for the tournament, Singh is one up on Jonathan Kaye (66) and two ahead of 2003 Mercedes champion Ernie Els (68).
Today's conclusion will come early. PGA officials pushed the start up to 7:10 a.m. to try and beat a storm expected to hit hard by 2 p.m. The players will go out in threesomes off the first and 10th tees. Singh, Kaye and Els start at 8 a.m. and are expected to finish by 1 p.m.
Singh has been much more of a sure thing than weather forecasters recently.
Delayed on ESPN, 2 p.m.
"He's on a roll like probably only two or three guys in history have ever been on," said Stewart Cink, whose 67 left him three back. "He's going to be tough to catch. I don't even know what (number) he's on right now, but I'm sure we can wait five minutes and it will be one better."
TODAY ON TV
Matt York • Associated Press
Singh has not bogeyed a hole this week. He called yesterday's round "a disappointing 4-under" in relatively easy conditions. He and playing partner Mike Weir both were frustrated on the greens, which have been the talk of the tournament when Singh wasn't the topic of conversation.
Vijay Singh is a picture of determination as he chips on to the ninth green during the Mercedes Championships at Kapalua.
He won nearly $11 million last year and came to Kapalua prepared to tell the golf world "I haven't gone away." He has accomplished that already, but yesterday's mere-mortal score kept him from running away. He parred the first five holes — three-putting the fifth — before birdieing Nos. 6 and 9. Singh also stalled on the back, aside from a seemingly simple eagle from 7 feet on the 555-yard 15th.
The bad weather could open this up even more, according to Els.
"I think quite a few guys come back into it now," said Els, figuring rain and Kona wind into the equation. "If it was the same as it's been the whole week, not too many guys would have a chance, but now a guy can get hot. The leaders make a couple mistakes ... I think all the way down to six shots behind still probably has a go at it."
Matt York • Associated Press
Kaye is closest after draining six birdie putts inside 12 feet on the back nine. The 34-year-old has won his only two tour events in the past two years. The payoff this week has been pairings with Singh — No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking — Tiger Woods (2) and Els (3) the first three days.
Ernie Els sends a spray of sand and his ball toward the ninth green at Kapalua's Plantation Course.
"The highlights were the ease of Vijay's first round (66), how good Tiger was the second day, struggling, and then Ernie got on fire early today and just couldn't hang on to it on the back," Kaye said.
"But it was fun to watch them play and see how my game stacks up."
Well enough to draw Els and Singh as playing partners today. Woods is five back, just behind Weir and defending champion Stuart Appleby, and still stymied by the Plantation greens.
"You know, if I could make putts ... I've had so many putts inside 10 feet this week," said Woods, who made six birdies but launched two balls out of play yesterday. "It's just been unbelievable I haven't made more putts."
Els actually seized the lead for a moment, after birdieing four of his first five holes. His charge took a timeout when he hooked a ball into a bunker on the ninth and left it in on his third shot. He salvaged the round with three birdies in the final five holes.
Matt York • Associated Press
"The start was perfect," Els said. "You get it going like that early, you know, you can shoot anything. Unfortunately, I hit one bad shot on the nine hole. ... That's what really slowed the whole thing down. Looking at birdie and you make a six. So it was a bit of a bummer there."
Jonathan Kaye lines up his putt on the eighth green. Kaye shot a 7-under 66 and trails leader Vijay Singh by one stroke entering today's final round of the Mercedes Championships.
NOTES
Early off: Gates will open at 6 a.m. today to accommodate the earlier start. TV coverage will now be delayed instead of live and remains from 2 to 5 p.m. so other parts of the country can watch in prime time.
Sure thing: In the previous 51 Mercedes Championships that have gone the full 72 holes, 42 players who have held or shared the 54-hole lead have gone on to win. That has happened at four of the six Mercedes played on Maui.
No backs: The last player to go 72 holes without a bogey and win was Lee Trevino, in 1974.
Going low: The 19-under total after three rounds is Vijay Singh's lowest score in relation to par in the 298 events he has played.
All around: Every player in the 31-golfer winners-only field is under par.
Guess who?: By holding the lead entering the final round, Vijay Singh won this week's Crestor Charity Challenge. The company will donate $3.5 million to designated health and tour charities this year, at 35 stops. This week, Crestor and the Mercedes Championships will give $50,000 to Kapalua Maui Charities and $50,000 to a health care charity Singh selects.
Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com
