cool Vijay Singh took advantage of stumbling finishes by Jim Furyk and Anthony Kim to win the Chevron World Challenge by one shot on Sunday. Two strokes off the pace overnight, world number five Singh calmly rolled in an eight-foot downhill putt to birdie the par-four 18th and clinch his fourth victory of the year. The smooth-swinging Fijian birdied four of the last eight holes at Sherwood Country Club on the way to a sparkling five-under-par 67 and an 11-under total of 277 in the elite tournament hosted by Tiger Woods. “Very unexpected,” a beaming Singh said in a greenside television interview after earning the winner's check for $1.35 million. “I just hung in there. I thought Jimmy Furyk was playing so well and Anthony so I just had to keep pace. “My thought was if I shot a 67 or 68 I may have a good chance and it ended up being what I needed.” Singh's playing partner Steve Stricker closed with a 68 to secure second place and third-round leader Kim (73) had to settle for a share of third at seven under with fellow American Hunter Mahan (68). Furyk, who had briefly forged two ahead after a burst of three birdies from the third, dropped four shots in the last three holes for a 74 and a tie for fifth at five under with Colombia's Camilo Villegas (73). Singh's victory put the gloss on a lucrative 2008 campaign, the Fijian having triumphed three times in five weeks to clinch the PGA Tour's FedExCup and the $10 million bonus in late September. US Ryder Cup team mates Furyk and Kim duelled for the lead over the opening nine holes on Sunday before Singh and Stricker steadily worked their way into contention. Furyk edged one ahead after sinking a six-foot birdie putt at the 10th before being briefly overhauled by Singh's three-birdie run from the 11th. After the Fijian got up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-five 13th and snatch the outright lead at 10 under, Furyk also birdied 13 to draw level. Furyk's title bid then unravelled with bogeys on 14, 16 and 17 while Kim fell even further behind after double-bogeying 14 and 15, where he found water off the tee. Singh squandered an opportunity to forge two ahead when he missed a four-foot birdie putt at the 16th and was joined in a tie for the lead when Stricker birdied the par-three 17th. However, the Fijian struck a superb six-iron into the heart of the green at the par-four last and pumped his right fist in celebration after sinking the eight-footer for birdie. Britain's Luke Donald fired the lowest round of the week in the 16-man event, a closing 66 lifting him into eighth place at level par. Honor for Jeev India's Jeev Milkha Singh, who this year became the first Asian Tour golfer to win more than one million dollars in a single season, has won the tour's Order of Merit. The 37-year-old Singh, who earned $1.45 million in 11 tournaments, won the award for the second time in three seasons and was also named the Players' Player of the Year at an awards ceremony Sunday, organizers said. Singh praised the tour for helping to “build my confidence and I am truly honored that the players voted for me for the Player of the Year award.”
