Tiger Woods surged past Vijay Singh to seize his fifth straight PGA title in superb style on Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
World No. 1 Woods erased a three-shot deficit in three holes, took sole possession of the lead after five and rolled to his fifth win in as many starts with an eight-under-par 63 for 16-under 268.
"I just kept thinking that if Vijay shot something in the high 60s, I figured mid-60s would either get me in a playoff or win it," Woods said. "And that was what I had in mind today, and I was able to actually go a little bit lower than that."
Woods extended a winning streak that included the British Open and PGA Championship -- titles that brought his total of majors to 12 -- and took his tally of victories this year to seven.
Singh, who had opened the tournament with rounds of 70-71, had gone into the third round five shots off the pace but fired a course-record 61 that gave him a three-stroke lead heading into the final round.
Singh carded a creditable 68 on Monday, but by the time he nabbed a birdie at the seventh hole he was playing catch-up.
A front nine of six-under-par 30 included two eagles and put Woods on top by three shots.
The tournament turned into a duel between Woods and Singh, with only 26 players finishing under-par and no other player reaching double-digits under-par.
Brian Bateman closed with a 66 to finish third at eight-under 276.
Australian Robert Allenby (68) and England's Justin Rose (72) tied for fourth at seven-under.
The likes of Ernie Els and Adam Scott hold no fear for Asia's top golfers, who are ready to step up and be counted at the Singapore Open.
Former winner Jyoti Randhawa of India believes that the presence of big-name stars will bring out the best in his powerful game and see him challenging for the top spot.
Randhawa, who lifted the trophy in 2000, has put his European Tour campaign on hold to come back to Asia for a crack at winning the title again at Sentosa Golf Club this week.
"Three or four great guys will be playing [in Singapore] who are rated that much better than the rest of the field. They are going to do their best and if you want to beat them, you have to do better than your best. That is an inspiration, that is what you need to look at, that is what I am trying to do," he said.
As well as Els and Scott, the US$3 million tournament has drawn Michael Campbell, Lee Westwood and Paul McGinley to Singapore -- all ranked in the world top 50.
Former Asian No. 1 Thongchai Jaidee is another who is not fazed by the presence of the big guns.
"I know the big names are coming to the Barclays Singapore Open but I am not scared -- it is no problem taking them on," said Thongchai, who finished fifth in last years tournament.
"You have to enjoy the experience [of playing with the worlds leading players.] If you are scared, you will lose everything, your swing will go. Of course, if I beat them and win the tournament it will be good for Asia. I can play against everybody, no problem," he said.
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