Tiger Woods wins Deutsche Bank title

NORTON – Tiger Woods surged past Vijay Singh to seize his fifth straight PGA title in superb style here Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

World number one 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 in 2006 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.Singh was even through nine, and even as Woods went through a stretch of seven straight pars, Singh couldn’t mount a charge.Woods picked up two more shots at 15 and 17 as he claimed his 53rd career PGA Tour victory, placing him fifth on the all-time list.Singh started with six pars before a birdie at the seventh.A bogey at nine dropped him back to 11-under.Three birdies coming in, on 12, 15 and 18, got Singh to 14-under 270.When he won here in 2003, Singh temporarily ended Woods’ reign as the number one player in the world and got the best of him in a final-group showdown.Nampa-AFP”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 in 2006 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.Singh was even through nine, and even as Woods went through a stretch of seven straight pars, Singh couldn’t mount a charge.Woods picked up two more shots at 15 and 17 as he claimed his 53rd career PGA Tour victory, placing him fifth on the all-time list.Singh started with six pars before a birdie at the seventh.A bogey at nine dropped him back to 11-under.Three birdies coming in, on 12, 15 and 18, got Singh to 14-under 270.When he won here in 2003, Singh temporarily ended Woods’ reign as the number one player in the world and got the best of him in a final-group showdown.Nampa-AFP