A late surge and a steady finish
Vijay Singh claimed the SAS Championship in Cary, North Carolina, on Sunday, carding a closing 3-under 69 to win by two strokes. At 63, the Fijian is now the second-oldest player to take a title on the PGA Tour Champions, the circuit reserved for players aged 50 and above. He built his lead with four birdies spread across a six-hole run spanning the turn, separating himself from a tightly packed leaderboard, then protected the advantage by parring each of his final six holes.[S1]
Ernie Els signed for a 69 and finished alone in second. Tim O'Neal stayed within a shot until the par-5 17th, where his attempt to escape a fairway bunker clipped the top of the lip and dropped into a creek; the resulting double bogey and a closing bogey ended his challenge. Matthew Goggin was the only player to climb into the top 72 who earn places in the Charles Schwab Cup postseason, which begins next week in St. Louis.[S1]
A drought broken after a difficult season
The trophy is Singh's sixth on the over-50 tour and his first in a little more than three years. He had arrived in North Carolina without a single top-10 result during the season. Singh, who won 34 times on the PGA Tour, said the week had been a struggle and that he had been unsure how his body would respond in the morning cold, adding that his iron play fell short of what he wanted even as the outcome came together.[S1]
Only Bernhard Langer has won on the Champions circuit at an older age. The German triumphed at 67 and owns five further titles on the tour at 64 or above, a benchmark that leaves Singh second on the list of oldest champions.[S1]
