Singh Leaves Field Behind

Vijay Singh quickly turned a showdown between the world’s top two golfers into a rout at Grand Blanc, Mich.

Singh started the third round of the Buick Open one stroke ahead of Tiger Woods, then birdied the first three holes while Woods bogeyed Nos. 2, 3 and 4.

Singh matched the tournament record of seven under on the front nine and closed with a 63 Saturday for a tournament 54-hole record of 22-under-par 194.

Zach Johnson (65) is at 17 under, alone in second place.

If Singh holds onto his five-shot lead he’ll be the first three-time champion at the Buick Open, a tournament that started in 1958, and the first champion to repeat since Tony Lema in 1965.

As great as Singh’s round was, it could’ve been better if his putting had been more consistent. He missed short putts for birdie at Nos. 7 and 14 and another for par at the 16th.

However, it still was good enough to beat Robert Wrenn’s 54-hole tournament record of 21 under set in 1987.

Woods is the top-ranked player in the world, and Singh is No. 2. They have alternated positions atop the world ranking for nearly a year.

Woods had three consecutive bogeys -- falling seven strokes behind after four holes -- before finishing with a two-under 70 for the round and 14 under for the tournament, eight shots behind Singh.

Woods’ 22-foot par putt at the 18th spun around the cup, giving him a fourth bogey.

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Jeong Jang shot a three-under 69 to stretch her lead at the British Open to five strokes, as Annika Sorenstam, seeking her third major of the season, grabbed a share of second place with a third-round 66.

Jang, seeking her first victory in her sixth season on the LPGA Tour, is at 13-under 203 at the Royal Birkdale links in Southport, England, the best score through 54 holes since the tournament became a major five years ago.

Sorenstam and Cristie Kerr, who shot a 69, were at eight-under 208.

Among the five players at 209 is 15-year-old Michelle Wie, playing her last tournament before she returns to high school.

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Craig Stadler made a spectacular bunker shot on the last hole and went on to make a birdie, moving into a tie for the lead with Loren Roberts after three rounds of the U.S. Senior Open at Kettering, Ohio.

Stadler had pulled his drive into the bunker left of the fairway on the dogleg par-four, but he was able to muscle a seven-iron out of the sand from 153 yards that ended up four feet from the pin. He made the birdie putt to cap a two-under 69.

Roberts also shot a 69 to share the lead at 11-under 202, highlighting his round by spinning in a wedge at the 10th hole for an eagle.