The current world rankings have Vijay Singh No. 3, but that doesn’t tell the true story.
Because of the complicated formula, Tiger Woods still holds the top spot even though he hasn’t played like a No. 1 in 2004. Ernie Els, by virtue of his two runner-up finishes in majors this year, is second.
But it’s hard to beat the record of the No. 3 player, Singh. Since the beginning of 2003, he has won nine PGA Tour events.
Singh will try to make it 10 on Sunday–and settle any debate over who is currently the best player in the world. Singh will go into the final round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits with a one-shot lead over Justin Leonard.
Singh moved to 12 under par with a 69 on Saturday. A bogey at 18 left Leonard at 11 under after a 70.
It could be a two-player race. Singh and Leonard have separated themselves from the fivesome at 8 under: Phil Mickelson, Els, Stephen Ames, Darren Clarke and Chris Riley.
Singh can lay claim to being No. 1 with a victory Sunday, but he is going to let his clubs do the talking this time.
After Singh won back-to-back tournaments in the spring, he talked openly of overtaking Woods for the No. 1 ranking. But the formula requires some advanced math. It involves a two-year rolling average that takes into account strength of field and other factors.
Singh opened his mouth and promptly went into a slump–by his standards at least. It made him realize he had to change his approach.
“My focus two months ago was on the wrong thing,” Singh said. “I was focusing so hard to get to the No. 1 spot, and not focusing on my own game. Every time I teed it up I didn’t want to play bad, and hence I started to make simple mistakes. Right now I am totally focused on my game and not really worried about the rankings.”
It’s hard to argue with the results. Singh has shot three straight rounds in the 60s at Whistling Straits. He did it the hard way Saturday, relying on his putter to bail him out of some tough situations.
His biggest putt came at 18, where he sank a 6-footer to save par. It not only gave him the lead, it also provided some separation from the pack at 8 under.
“That putt meant a lot,” Singh said. “They have to play one shot better to catch me now.”
Leonard, Singh’s primary challenger, is playing his best golf of the year. He came into the PGA with only one top-10 finish.
Leonard will be out to make amends for what happened at Hazeltine in the 2002 PGA. He had the 54-hole lead, but frittered it away with a 77 in the final round.
“I’ve gained a lot of perspective since Hazeltine,” Leonard said. “What I do [Sunday] is not going to define the player I am. If I can keep that in my thoughts I’ll have a better chance of doing the things I’ve done. If I do those things, hopefully the golf tournament will take care of itself.”
Leonard probably will have to outduel Singh to get the trophy. A much shorter hitter, he won’t try to match Singh off the tee. Instead, he said he will try to rely on his accuracy–he has hit 81 percent of fairways this week–and strong concentration.
“It should be exciting, and [facing Singh], that’s a huge challenge,” Leonard said. “At the same time, I’ve got to go play a Pete Dye golf course that’s pretty difficult. I need to focus on that task more than I need to focus on Vijay and what he’s doing. If it comes down to match play [over the last few holes], that would be great. But I’ve got a little ways to go before I get in that kind of mind-set.”
Singh ought to be full of confidence going to the first tee. He has seven straight victories when he holds the 54-hole lead.
Even if Singh wins Sunday, he won’t catch Woods in the world rankings; Woods had to miss the cut in order for that to happen. But he could wrap up the player-of-the-year title. Singh’s record of five victories and a major title would be tough to beat.
Singh acknowledged that the prospect is on his mind. He finished a close second to Woods in voting among players last year.
“It’s still in the early stage right now,” Singh said. “But if I win [Sunday], I will be in a very strong position.”
