SINGAPORE, 22 March 2004 — Britain’s Colin Montgomerie won his first European Tour title in 16 months with a three-shot victory at the Singapore Masters yesterday. The seven-time European number one, four strokes off the lead at the start of the day, fired a flawless seven-under-par 65 at Laguna National Golf and Country Club for a winning total of 16-under 272.
Thailand-based American Greg Hanrahan, co-leader overnight with Britain’s Barry Lane, secured second place at 13 under after closing with a level-par 72. Australian left-hander Nick O’Hern (67) finished a further shot back in a tie for third with India’s Jyoti Randhawa (66) while Lane, who had been chasing his first European title in 10 years, slipped back into a share of fifth with a 75. Montgomerie, who had not won in Europe since he shared the season-ending Volvo Masters with Bernhard Langer in 2002, sealed his place in next week’s Players Championship (TPC) at Ponte Vedra, Florida with his 28th European Tour triumph.
The Briton got off to a fast start with birdies at the first two holes. He then picked up further shots at five and seven to draw level with Lane at the top of the leaderboard.
Lane, however, was to falter with four bogeys in the last six holes and Montgomerie forged two strokes clear with birdies on 13 and 15.
He then struck a superb six-iron to just two feet at the par-three 17th, his seventh birdie of the day effectively sealing the win.
Sizzling Putter Lifts Aussie Star to 4-Stroke PGA Lead
In Orlando, Florida, Australia’s Stuart Appleby birdied four holes in a row on his way to a six-under par 66 on Saturday to gave him a four-stroke lead entering the final round of the US PGA Bay Hill Invitational.
Ninth-ranked Appleby opened with a bogey but reclaimed the stroke on the next hole, then ran off the streak of birdies starting on the fifth hole. He sank birdie putts of 45, eight, 28 and 41 feet during the streak.
The Aussie birdied the 12th and 16th, then dropped a 20-foot par save on 17 and parred the 18th to finish on 16-under par 200 after 54 holes at the five million-dollar event, eying his second title of 2004 and third in nine starts.
Sorenstam Stretches LPGA Lead While Wie Hangs Tough
In Superstition, Arizona, Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam fired a four-under par 68 Saturday, stretching her lead to two strokes entering the final round of the $1.2 million LPGA Safeway International. Sorenstam stood on 16-under par 200 after 54 holes, two strokes ahead of 19-year-old South Korean Ahn Shi-hyun, who fired a 66, and three strokes ahead of American Christie Kerr, who fired a third-round 70.
Sorenstam won her first start of the year in Australia and has looked on form in her first US LPGA event, a tune-up for next week’s first women’s major tournament in Rancho Mirage, California. This is the fifth year in a row Sorenstam will take the lead into the final round in the Phoenix-area event.
Ahn opened with a bogey but followed with seven birdies to seize second and a playing date Sunday alongside Sorenstam. Five strokes off the pace were Koreans Grace Park and Pak Se-ri, Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa and Britain’s Laura Davies with American Heather Bowie on 206.
