Singh finally gets name on trophy

THIS WAS different. For a change, there was no ode to Tiger. For the first time since 2004, a name other than Tiger Woods was etched onto the Bridgestone Invitational trophy at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. And, perhaps fittingly, his successor as champion after a drama-filled final round was Vijay Singh.

Sure, there were moments yesterday - especially when the Fijian had the belly-putter in his hand, with a succession of missed short putts putting pressure on him down the stretch - where Singh looked fallible. But, in the end, he got the job done (just about) with a final-round 68 for 270, 10-under-par, that left him with a shot to spare over runners-up Lee Westwood and Stuart Appleby.

Ironically, given his travails with the putter, Singh finished the job with a tricky three-and-a-half-footer for par on the last.

Singh - whose last win on tour had come in the Bay Hill Invitational in March 2007, a gap of 17 months - had started the final round tied with Westwood and Phil Mickelson, but took control early on with a hat-trick of birdies from the second and another birdie on the sixth.

Thereafter, it proved to be a rough ride home and bogeys at the eighth, 11th and 13th (with just one birdie on the 12th, from four feet) allowed Westwood and a charging Appleby to apply pressure down the stretch.

Mickelson imploded on the way home, bogeying three of the last four holes - the 15th, 17th and 18th where he drove a la the US Open at Winged Foot three years ago into the trees - to finish alongside Retief Goosen in a share of fourth.

In the end, Singh's run of five successive pars from the 14th was enough to see him claim a first WGC title, although Westwood - more than anyone - will rue some missed birdie chances on the way home that could have given him a first win on American soil in a decade.

Coming just six weeks after he finished third in the US Open, Westwood started birdie-birdie, but hit a rocky patch mid-way through the front nine when he bogeyed the fourth and double-bogeyed the seventh before birdieing three of the next six holes.

However, a bogey on the 14th, and then a run of four pars, meant that he came up just short again.

Darren Clarke left Akron with a jaunt to his step, eager now to continue the momentum at this week's USA PGA at Oakland Hills in neighbouring Michigan. The Ulsterman - playing here due to his 2006 Ryder Cup status - claimed, "I've missed this sort of event all year. I felt very comfortable all week. This is where I want to be, to play in these."

Clarke started off with birdies at the second and third and added another on the 10th, but, despite missing only one green in regulation, failed to take all of the chances. "I played really well on the back nine there, gave myself chances. I haven't been in this sort of field for a while so it was good to perform. I gave myself chances that just didn't go in," he remarked, with a shrug.

He has put himself dramatically back in the Ryder Cup picture.

In fact, the next few weeks should be very interesting from a European perspective as players jockey for position . . and those outside automatic selection attempt to turn Faldo's head. Certainly, Clarke - playing in his first tournament of the year in the US, having missed the Masters and the US Open and the two previous WGC events - did himself no harm.

If his form here came out of the blue, considering he missed the cut in his previous three tournaments in Europe, Clarke's 65 in Saturday's third round and another impressive round yesterday - albeit a final round 67 for 273, seven under, and a share of sixth position - was further confirmation that his game has come good.

On a day when conditions were made for good scoring, Paul Casey - in the doldrums for much of this season and lacking any consistency - finally exploded into life, returning a bogey-free 65 that was perfectly timed coming in the final tournament before Oakland Hills and a matter of weeks before Faldo must name his two picks.

Is it the start of a Casey run for the Ryder Cup?

"Well, I need it, don't I? I'm well out of the points and below players like Sergio, (Ian) Poulter, Monty, Luke (Donald) and I don't really want to rely on a pick. You know, this is a good start but I really need to throw in a couple of top-fives or a win or something like that to get myself on the team.

"This is an important run of events . . . but I've got to take it one round at a time, one shot at a time. The ultimate goal is to try and win (the PGA). I mean, majors are still the ultimate thing but I'd love to be part of that Ryder Cup team. Right now, they are probably the greatest memories I've ever had while being on a golf course and I'd like to be part of another team. And I've got some playing to do for that team before we get there."