Singh’s Game Is Second to None

The Vijay Singh bandwagon rolled through the Monterey Peninsula and picked up another victory Sunday, gaining speed along the way and leaving in its wake only one question, bouncing off the rocky coastline and the stately Cypress trees -- who in the world can derail this thing?

We could know the answer this week down the coast at Torrey Pines, where Singh will tee it up at the Buick Invitational and run straight into Tiger Woods.

During his month-long vacation, maybe Woods has taken notice of Singh’s successes, such as the overpowering three-shot victory Singh choreographed in four days of sunshine at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

It was vintage Vijay, or, more precisely, what we have learned to expect from him during his scorching 12-tournament streak that has produced three victories, three seconds, a third and a dozen top-10 finishes, only two short of Jack Nicklaus’ record of 14 straight in 1977.

Even so, Singh refused to say he’s the best player in the world at the current time.

“My ranking doesn’t say that. I’m No. 2,” he said. “I’m really not too worried if I am the best player in the world or not. I’m more concerned about how I’m playing, week in and week out.

“I want to be No. 1 before I finish playing, but it’s a hard feat to take Tiger off the top because he is playing well as well. If I keep playing like I’m doing now, I feel I have a shot, maybe not this year, but in a year or two.”

For the fifth consecutive time, Singh came through with a victory after holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

This time, Singh simply overpowered his challengers on a sunny Pebble Beach layout with a three-under 69 and a 72-hole total of 16-under 272 that left no doubt other than the identity of the runner-up.

As it turned out, it was Jeff Maggert, who birdied the last two holes for a 69, but he four-putted the 16th for a double bogey and really couldn’t come close to Singh.

Afterward, Maggert rated the stature of the guy who defeated him.

“Everybody knows who the best player is in the world right now, it’s obviously the guy who won this tournament,” he said.

Phil Mickelson had three birdies and no bogeys on the back nine, and his 69 was good enough for third place at 12-under 276.

Mike Weir double-bogeyed the 18th when he hit it in the water and fell into a tie for fourth at nine-under 279 with K.J. Choi and Arron Oberholser, the third-round co-leader with Singh. Oberholser double-bogeyed the eighth when he hit his second shot into a hazard and couldn’t make much happen after that. He shot a 76.

Singh had no such problems. If his peers were looking for any small crack in his foundation, they found none, especially after Singh birdied the first three holes, took a four-shot lead after the front nine, chipped in for a birdie to start the back side, then enjoyed a leisurely stroll to the winner’s circle, where he accepted the first-place check for $954,000.

His only slip-up on his way in occurred at the par-three 17th, where Singh hit it in a bunker, splashed it across the green into the back bunker, chopped it onto the green and made a 12-foot putt for a bogey.

But his lead was safe, and Singh knew it, so he allowed himself a moment to reflect on his accomplishment as he finished at the 18th green.

“Standing on the 18th hole, I always wondered how it was going to feel like to be standing there with the cup,” he said. “It felt great.”

There has never been a greater period for Singh in his 13 years on the PGA Tour. He has won $5,016,683 in his 12-tournament top-10 stretch, and he is 147 under par in 48 rounds. Singh has played 45 of those 48 rounds at par or better.

In his four tournaments this year, Singh was second at Kapalua, tied for 10th at Honolulu, tied for third at Scottsdale and a winner here at Pebble Beach.

His scoring average this year is 67.62, which is better than anyone else’s, and his earnings of $1.96 million are more than anyone else’s.

Singh’s 16th victory increased his career prize money to $27.8 million -- second only to Woods’ $40 million -- and further strengthened his grip on the No. 2 spot in the rankings, behind Woods, the undisputed leader in ranking, victories, earnings and intimidation.

Now, perhaps as early as this week, we may find out how Singh stacks up against Woods.

It’s shaping up as a three-week confrontation for Woods and Singh, who also will play at Riviera in the Nissan Open and at La Costa in the Accenture Match Play Championship.

“It doesn’t bother me much if Tiger is in the tournament or not,” Singh said. “I’m going to prepare myself for another week. It doesn’t matter who is playing.

“I’m not his rival at all. He is a friend of mine. I just feel like I’m not going to be pushed to answer questions about me and Tiger, Tiger and me.”

Chances are that Singh might have to get used to such comparisons. So here is one more: Singh has 16 PGA Tour victories and has been in the top 10 in 105 of his 272 tournaments, or 39% of the time. Woods has 39 victories and has been in the top 10 in 95 of his 160 tournaments, which is 59%.

If there is going to be a Woods-Singh rivalry, why wait? It might as well get started as soon as possible.

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Vijay’s Victory Tour

Vijay Singh has three victories and hasn’t placed lower than 10th in his last 12 tournaments:

*--* Tournament Pl. Earnings NEC Invitational Tie 6 $163,333 Deutsche Bank 4 $240,000 Canadian Open Tie 6 $145,950 John Deere Classic Win $630,000 American Express Tie 2 $405,000 Funai Classic Win $720,000 Chrysler Championship 2 $518,400 Tour Championship Tie 5 $228,000 Mercedes Championships 2 $600,000 Sony Open Tie 10 $110,400 FBR Open Tie 3 $301,600 Pebble Beach Win $954,000

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Buick Invitational

Facts

* When: Thursday-Sunday.

* Where: Torrey Pines North and South courses, La Jolla.

* Last year: In his first tournament of the year, Tiger Woods shot a final-day four-under-par 68 for a four-round total of 16-under 272 and a four-stroke victory over Sweden’s Carl Pettersson.

* 2002 winner: Jose Maria Olazabal.

* 2000, 2001 winner: Phil Mickelson.

* Other past champions include: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.

* Upcoming PGA tournaments: Nissan Open, Riviera Country Club, Feb. 19-22; WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, La Costa Resort and Spa, Carlsbad, Feb. 25-29.

* U.S. Open 2008: The U.S. Open will be played at the Torrey Pines South Course in 2008. The last time it was played in Southern California was in 1948 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.