Stalking a tiger

Vijay Singh could soon topple Tiger Woods

Vijay Singh pushed Tiger Woods off the top from the Money List in 2003. And this year, Singh is close to knocking Woods off from the No. 1 spot in rankings.

The 41-year-old Fijian, who after winning the Money List had admitted that he was going to make a bid for the No 1 spot, seemed to be slipping earlier in the year. In contrast, it was Ernie Els who kept up hopes of winning at the Majors.

At Whistling Straits last week, Vijay finally took a decisive step in the direction of becoming a No. 1 player with a display that was awesome not just in terms of golf but also by way of mental strength. The most hard-working man on the PGA Tour even took time off to work out at the new gym at his house in Ponte Vedra.

And it helped when it came to the crunch. In a tense play-off at the PGA championships, where Els missed by a single strike, Vijay showed Justin Leonard and Chris Di Marco who was the boss with a birdie on the second.

And then on the second play-off hole, Vijay hit one of the finest approach shots. From 226 yards, he knocked a three-iron to six feet of the cup.

With Leonard and Di Marco not even getting on to the green in two, Vijay had a chance to lock the title. But he missed the putt "" quite in keeping with his below par putting of 34 putts for the final round in regulation.

Leonard and Di Marco also parred and then Vijay kept his one-stroke lead with a two-putt for par and won the third Major of his career.

One of the hallmarks of Vijay's win was how he kept his nerves in check. In the past, his score had ballooned whenever his play goes off the boil initially.

This time, he kept his head. Vijay started the final day carrying a one-shot lead but dropped to a two-stroke deficit at one stage on the fourth. But he didn't panic. He played a four-over 76 but that was on a day when only Di Marco scored a one-under 71.

Leonard, one behind Vijay at the start, caught up with a 75. While others in contention "" Chris Riley (73), Phil Mickelson (74), Ernie Els (73), Stephen Ames (75), Darren Clarke (76) "" did not make it to the play-off.

Vijay, the 1998 PGA champion, began the front nine with a poor 3-over 39 but was given a fresh lease of life as Leonard missed several short putts on the back nine and threw away a two-shot lead with three holes to play.

Vijay said later, "I kept telling myself, 'I'm going to make a putt sooner or later.'" Singh hit five of 14 fairways on the final day and had 17 two-putts to frustrate any contender.

In the playoff, on the par-4 10th hole, the first in the shoot-out, Vijay hit a drive that left him with only 36 yards to the pin on a 361-yard uphill par-4. Singh then made his first birdie putt of the day. "But, end of the day, it was, like I say, a good 76," he said after the title.

What about Els? He missed a putt on the 72nd green at Whistling Straits which cost him a place in the playoff for the PGA Championships.

Els was denied the Green Jacket at the Masters by a Phil Mickelson birdie putt on the 72nd green in April. He ended joint ninth as fellow South African, Retief Goosen, triumphed at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills. At the British Open, Els was beaten in a play-off by the unheralded American, Todd Hamilton.

Meanwhile, it was Vijay's 20th PGA Tour title that brought him closer to the No. 1 spot. This week, both Els and Vijay are in action at the World Golf Championships "" NEC Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

Vijay is now within 0.10 points of Tiger after winning the PGA Championships, and he can get to No. 1 at the NEC Invitational by finishing ahead of Woods if both are in the top 10. Or, tying with Woods if they are outside the top 10.

Meanwhile for Els, who like Mickelson finished in top 10 of all the four Majors this year, there is still a chance to make up. This week, if Els wins and Woods does not finish second alone, he can take the spot.

The other possibility is if Els is second and Woods does not finish in a two-way for fourth, and Vijay is not in a two-way tie for third. And the third equation is if Els finishes third but Woods finishes worse than 15, and Vijay finishes worse than 19.

Wait and watch. This could be the most intriguing week of golf action. After all, Tiger may be edged off the perch after a record 332 weeks in the top slot.