Singh Applies Finishing Touch

Vijay Singh heard a massive roar coming from the 18th hole, and a glance at the leaderboard confirmed what he suspected -- Ernie Els had made an eagle to tie for the lead in the Sony Open.

Singh had six holes left to make no mistakes and one birdie.

He kept Els and everyone else in suspense until the end.

Capping a flawless final round, Singh hammered a 300-yard drive on the par-five closing hole to set up a routine birdie from the edge of the green, giving him a five-under-par 65 and a one-shot victory Sunday.

“The 18th hole owed me,” said Singh, who had not made a birdie there during the tournament. “I hit a great drive, and that set me up. It’s a tough driving hole for me. I could take another bucket of balls and not be able to hit that shot.”

Singh finished at 11-under 269 for a one-shot victory over Els, who was trying to win an unprecedented third consecutive title at Waialae Country Club.

Seemingly out of contention, Els holed a 10-foot birdie on the 16th, hit a six-iron to within three feet on the 17th and reached the 551-yard 18th hole with a three-iron. He then made an 18-foot putt to tie the course record with a 62.

“I always felt it was going to be just a little shy,” Els said. “But I still had a great day.”

Singh did not celebrate until Shigeki Maruyama failed to make eagle on the final hole. The Japanese star closed with a 71 to tie for third with Charles Howell III (67).

It was the earliest Singh has won on the PGA Tour, and it came at a good time.

Expectations were higher than ever coming off a nine-win season that vaulted him to No. 1 in the world rankings. And he was feeling the pressure from the previous week, when he snap-hooked a tee shot on the 13th hole in the final round and took triple bogey, ultimately costing him a chance to win the season-opening Mercedes Championships.

“This takes a lot of pressure off me,” he said. “If I had not won one, like I let one go last week, I would be tensing up as the weeks go by.”

Singh played bogey-free on another windy day at Waialae, and he had to on the back nine.

The key was the 14th, when Singh ran a 60-foot birdie putt about eight feet by the hole. He made that one to stay tied with Els, biding time until he got to the 18th, where he two-putted from the fringe.

Singh won for the 25th time in his career and picked up his 20th PGA Tour trophy.

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PGA Tour at a Glance

* Week 1 winner: Stuart Appleby.

* Week 2 winner: Vijay Singh.

* This week: Buick Invitational, Thursday-Sunday.

* Where: Torrey Pines Golf Club, La Jolla.

* Defending champion: John Daly.