Ernie Els said the Buick Open was his to win or lose. He lost.
The current U.S. Open champion backed up to the pack Sunday in Grand Blanc, Mich., clearing the way for Vijay Singh to earn his second victory of the year.
“I thought Ernie would win this today,” Singh said. “But after the front nine, we were all bunched up. So on the back, I just got my tail up.”
While Els, the reigning U.S. Open champion, could produce just one birdie all day, Singh played almost perfect golf, shooting a 6-under-par 66 for a 15-under 273 total. That was four strokes better than six others, including Els, who closed with a 74.
Curtis Strange, Joe Ozaki, Russ Cochran, Brad Fabel and Tom Byrum all tied with Els at 277. Ozaki closed with a 69, Cochran and Byrum 67s, Strange and Fabel 71s at Warwick Hills Country Club.
“This golf course just wouldn’t give me anything the last two days,” said Els, who started the final round with a three-shot lead after shooting even par Saturday.
Singh, 34, who won the Memorial tournament in May, earned $270,000 of the $1.5 million purse.
Masters champion Tiger Woods, who turned at 6 under, birdied four of the first seven holes on the home side for a 68 and 278. The $43,500 Woods earned gave him a record total for the year of $1,821,895, bettering Tom Lehman’s record of $1,780,159 set last year.
Northville Seniors: The joy of Dana Quigley’s first professional victory was quickly tempered with the news of his father’s death.
Quigley made a 2 1/2-foot par putt on the third playoff hole to defeat Jay Sigel in the $1 million tournament in Jericho, N.Y.
After the presentation ceremony, Quigley received a phone call from his brother, Paul, informing him that 82-year-old Wallace Quigley had died of cancer only hours earlier in a Providence, R.I., hospital.
“I saw him on Thursday and seriously thought about withdrawing from the tournament,” Quigley said through tears. “I wish he could have seen me win.”
Quigley, 50, who made the field as a Monday qualifier, shot a 2-under-par 70 Sunday and finished with a 54-hole total of 12-under 204. Sigel, who bogeyed two of the final four holes, shot 66.
Walker Cup: A stunning American combination of youthful talent and experience was too much for Britain-Ireland as the U.S. reclaimed the title 18-6 in Scarsdale, N.Y.
After a near-sweep of the morning matches, the U.S. needed just one point in the eight singles matches to reclaim the Cup it lost two years ago. The winning point came fittingly when John Harris, the veteran star of the U.S. team, won the 13th hole to close out Michael Brooks 6 and 5.
LPGA Friendly’s Classic: Deb Richard shot a 5-under-par 67 and held off a late charge from Chris Johnson for a one-stroke victory in Agawam, Mass.
Johnson closed with a 68 for a 278 total. Richard then had trouble on No. 18 and had to nail a 1-foot putt for bogey, but it was enough to keep her at 11 under and avoid a playoff.
Czech Open: Bernhard Langer claimed his 50th title, firing a bogey-free 8-under-par 63 to win by four strokes over third-round leaders Ignacio Garrido and Niclas Fasth in Karlstejn, Czech Republic.
