Vijay Singh shot a 4-under 68 in the final round Monday, holding off Scott Hoch and John Daly for a two-stroke victory in the rain-delayed Houston Open.
Singh finished the four rounds at 11-under 277 for his second victory in Houston, where he won two years ago. It was the 17th tour victory for Singh and second this year. In 11 events in 2004, he's finished in the top 10 six times.
Hoch was second at 9 under after a closing 67. John Huston (71) was another shot back, followed by Stephen Ames (69) and Dudley Hart (70).
Daly and Hoch started the last round three shots back. Daly got to within one stroke of the lead before fading late. He finished with a 71, leaving him six strokes back for the tournament.
Weather problems interrupted play three consecutive days at the Redstone Golf Club and pushed the tournament into Monday, where third-round play was completed for most of the field earlier in the day.
Singh opened the event with a 74, but his second-round 66 equaled the low round of the tournament. He completed his third round earlier Monday, making an 88-foot chip for eagle at the 12th hole that gave him a 69 and a share of the lead with Huston after 54 holes at 7 under.
Singh began the final round after a short break and birdied two of the first three holes, rolling in a 20-foot putt at No. 1. At the 209-yard par-3 third hole, his tee shot stopped less than 2 1/2 feet from the pin. His putt for birdie gave him the lead outright at 9 under.
With Daly on the opposite end of the course making birdies, Singh had seven consecutive pars before a birdie at the par-4 No. 11, where he putted in from less than 10 feet. As Hoch closed in, Singh coolly added a 10-foot birdie at No. 15.
Hoch, coming off a tie for seventh last week at the MCI Heritage for his best finish of the year, began the final round three shots back. He birdied his first three holes but didn't get another until No. 12.
Then on the par-5 15th, he got to within one of the lead. His third shot from 79 yards away landed 6 feet from the cup, and he made the putt for birdie to get to 9 under. That was as close as it would get for Hoch, who led this event in 1995 heading into the final day, blowing a five-shot lead with a final-round 75 and then losing in a playoff to Payne Stewart.
Daly, playing the back nine first, started the final round at 4 under. He had four birdies on his first eight holes.
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