OAKVILLE, Ontario - Vijay Singh won another dramatic duel and earned another No. 1 ranking - Public Enemy No. 1 in Canada - for beating Mike Weir in a playoff at the Canadian Open and denying the fans a celebration they had been wanting for 50 years.
Don't blame Singh.
Weir had three putts to become the first Canadian in 50 years to win his national title - a 10-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole, a 25-footer for eagle on No. 18 in the playoff and a 5-footer on No. 17 at the second playoff hole.
He missed them all.
Weir pulled his tee shot on No. 18, the third playoff hole, laid up, then hit his approach in the water. Some 25,000 fans let out a collective groan and gave begrudging applause when Singh three-putted from the fringe for par.
"I feel for Mike," Singh said. "That was the one person I didn't want to beat."
Singh closed with 69 for his seventh victory of the year - only Tiger Woods (twice), Jack Nicklaus (twice) and Johnny Miller have won that often since 1970.
More important for the 41-year-old, the $810,000 he won gives him just short of $8.7-million for the season, allowing him to close in on Woods' single-season record of $9.1-million.
Weir, the former Masters champion, had three-putt bogeys on two of the final six holes - one of them from 8 feet with a chance to secure the title - and he had a chance to win in regulation with a 10-foot birdie. It turned away on the final roll, leaving Weir with his only round over par in the tournament (1-over 72) and both players at 9-under 275.
LPGA TOUR: Annika Sorenstam won her fifth tour event of the year, closing with 1-under 70 for a four-shot victory at the John Q. Hammons Classic in Broken Arrow, Okla. Sorenstam had three birdies and a bogey in the final round for 9-under 204, winning the event a second time. Shi Hyun Ahn (69) was second at 5-under 208.
Joanne Morley, in the final group with Sorenstam, closed within a stroke of the lead after opening with two birdies. But she bogeyed five of the next six holes, missing a 3-foot par putt at the third and a 6-footer at the fifth.
Sorenstam, who had not played since winning the HP Open on Aug. 8, earned $150,000 for her 53rd career LPGA title.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Bruce Summerhays overcame a six-stroke deficit with birdie on the 18th to win the Kroger Classic in Maineville, Ohio, edging defending champ Gil Morgan (66), Jim Thorpe (66) and Doug Tewell (71) by a stroke. Summerhays, who went 209 tournaments since his last victory, started six shots behind second-round leader Tewell, but caught him with 8-under 64 to finish 15-under 201. Tewell, runnerup last year, had a chance to force a playoff with birdie at 18, but made par. Morgan played bogey-free, but could not best Summerhays' nine birdies.
EUROPEAN PGA: Padraig Harrington rallied to a three-stroke victory in the German Masters in Pulheim, closing with 2-under 70. The Irishman recorded his ninth tour title but first since the Hong Kong Open in December. Harrington entered trailing leader Graeme McDowell by three. Harrington finished 13-under 275 as McDowell struggled to 77-279.
ASIAN TOUR: American Edward Loar shot 1-under 71 for a three-stroke victory in the Korean Open. Ernie Els finished four strokes back in Cheonan. Loar finished 2-under 286 and Simon Yates (69) was runnerup at 289. Els began with a birdie, then made two straight bogeys. His hopes of winning faded with double bogey on the 13th. Third-round leader Terry Pilkadaris (78) shared fourth place with Hendrik Buhrmann at 292.
JAPAN TOUR: Hideki Kase captured the Suntory Open in Inzai, with two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (67) seven strokes back. Kase shot 65 to finish 13-under 267. Third-round leader Y.E. Yang (70) was at 272.
