[ MERCEDES CHAMPIONSHIPS ]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Stuart Appleby drove the ball off the No. 2 tee during yesterday's wind-swept round at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Maui. Appleby tapped in for par on the 18th hole for a one-stroke victory over the world's No. 2-ranked player, Vijay Singh.
Appleby holds
on for titleThe Australian maintains his lead
for a one-shot victory despite blustery
winds and a rally by Vijay Singh
KAPALUA, Maui >> If wind isn't your friend on a golf course, then it is an enemy to be feared.
Growing up in Australia, Stuart Appleby made peace with the breeze long ago and it showed during yesterday's blustery final round of the $5.3 million Mercedes Championships.
With the world's No. 2-rated player closing fast down the stretch, Appleby kept his wits about him to capture the winners-only event by a single shot over Vijay Singh. Not until he tapped in for par at the long 18th of the Plantation Course did the 32-year-old from Cohuna, Australia, secure the biggest victory of his career.
Looking up at Singh at 18, Appleby asked last year's PGA Tour money winner if he wanted him to wait before tapping in or if Singh wanted to try his 8-footer for birdie first.
"He just looked at me (and said), 'If you mark it, you're going to have to move it.' I said, 'Screw it, I'll tap it in.' "
It was the easiest of the 270 shots Appleby needed to secure his fifth victory in 213 starts on the PGA Tour. His final-round 71 was the worst of the four this week, but it was good enough. Of the top-eight finishers yesterday, only Scott Hoch managed a round in the 60s.
Singh's final-round 70 left him at 271 for the tournament. Had he made a tricky 10-footer for birdie at the 17th, the outcome might have been different. As it was, Singh's attempt slid by to the left, giving Appleby the all-important two-shot lead heading to the final tee.
"I don't know, I just left it too late," Singh said of his back-nine comeback. At the turn, he trailed Appleby by six shots. He closed fast with three consecutive birdies at Nos. 14-16 and another at 18.
"I'm not disappointed in finishing second," Singh said. "I'm just disappointed in not winning. I never really got a run going on the front nine. I played it in 2 over and you can't do that. I just had a lot of chances. Stuart played really well.
"He made the putts when he needed to. He didn't play too many bad shots coming in. He was very safe. He hit the greens and two-putted most of the way in. And on these greens, that's really good, especially with the wind today."
Early in the round, the Kona winds weren't kicking up quite as badly as they did later in the afternoon. A steady breeze of 12-24 mph greeted the world's best after lunch. There were periodic gusts that topped out at 30.
"Most Australians are good in the wind," Appleby said. "It's because we play a lot in very windy conditions. Like Texans are generally considered pretty good wind players. Australia is a very windy place. We're constantly playing on wind that is between one and three clubs. It's a little bit what we grew up on."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vijay Singh reacted after making a birdie putt on the 15th green of the Plantation Course during yesterday's final round.
The wind was by Appleby's side when he won at the Las Vegas Invitational last year, as well as at the Houston Open in 1999 and his victories at the Kemper Open in 1998 and at the Honda Classic in 1997.
"When I won Honda, came from behind and snuck up ahead of Payne (Stewart), got across the line in windy conditions, I played great at that course," Appleby said. "Kemper was in pretty trying conditions again in the wind.
"Houston was pretty breezy. Here was more than just a light breeze. I've always felt comfortable, British Opens, I guess, had a second the other year. I feel comfortable in the breeze."
Apparently more than his competition. Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke secured third with a final-round 70 to finish at 275, some five shots off the pace. Tiger Woods and Retief Goosen were another two shots back at 277. Woods said Saturday he would need to shoot a 62 or 63 to have a realistic chance. Had he managed that, he would have won the tournament.
"Yeah, if I had played a great round of golf, and got every break imaginable and got everything going my way I felt I had a chance," Woods said. "I had my chance to really do some damage early and it just didn't happen. Stuart's worked hard on his game. And good old-fashioned hard work pays off."
Appleby travels to Oahu today to prepare for the Sony Open in Hawaii. He has played well at Waialae Country Club through the years and would like nothing better than to continue his good fortune. In his last six starts he has two seconds and two victories.
"(Waialae) is very different (than the Plantation Course)," Appleby said. "I guess the wind is a factor there, so it's something that's a common denominator there. The greens are fantastic. Generally pretty flat. Very much a different course than here. Much more pleasant course on the legs, I must say."
Final-round scores
At Kapalua, Maui
Purse: $5.3 million
Par 73
Stuart Appleby, $1,060,000 66-67-66-71 -- 270 Vijay Singh, $600,000 68-64-69-70 -- 271 Darren Clarke, $400,000 67-69-69-70 -- 275 Tiger Woods, $275,000 71-70-65-71 -- 277 Retief Goosen, $275,000 70-70-64-73 -- 277 Kirk Triplett, $204,000 68-69-71-70 -- 278 Adam Scott, $180,000 69-74-68-68 -- 279 Scott Hoch, $170,000 68-71-69-72 -- 280 Ben Crane, $155,000 71-74-66-70 -- 281 Davis Love III, $155,000 69-71-69-72 -- 281 Jim Furyk, $140,000 70-71-68-74 -- 283 Jonathan Kaye, $130,000 74-70-66-74 -- 284 Justin Leonard, $115,000 68-73-71-73 -- 285 Shaun Micheel, $115,000 70-71-69-75 -- 285 T. Armour III, $89,166.67 73-71-73-70 -- 287 Steve Flesch, $89,166.67 73-72-72-70 -- 287 Peter Jacobsen, $89,166.67 70-71-73-73 -- 287 S. Maruyama, $89,166.67 69-72-72-74 -- 287 Chad Campbell, $89,166.66 71-76-65-75 -- 287 Kenny Perry, $89,166.66 73-71-68-75 -- 287 Ernie Els, $79,000 73-70-73-72 -- 288 Fred Couples, $79,000 69-72-72-75 -- 288 J.L. Lewis, $79,000 70-71-69-78 -- 288 Mike Weir, $75,000 71-70-73-75 -- 289 Rory Sabbatini, $73,000 73-74-74-70 -- 291 Frank Lickliter II, $70,000 73-76-70-74 -- 293 John Huston, $70,000 69-72-71-81 -- 293 Bob Tway, $67,500 76-74-72-72 -- 294 Craig Stadler, $67,500 73-78-68-75 -- 294 Ben Curtis, $66,000 73-80-70-74 -- 297
