GRAND BLANC, Mich. (AP) — Vijay Singh won The Ally Challenge on Sunday for his first PGA Tour Champions title in nearly five years, mainly because of a five-putt triple bogey by Paul Goydos.
Singh closed with a 4-under 68, and he walked off the 18th green at Warwick Hills thinking he would need some help from Goydos, who was in the group behind and had a one-shot lead. Singh didn’t realize the help already had been delivered.
Goydos was leading by one and had about an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th hole. He left that about 3 feet short. He rammed the par putt by the hole. He missed the 3-foot bogey putt. And then he missed again from about 4 feet and then tapped in for triple bogey.
Goydos retrieved the ball from the cup and stood on the green, arms crossed, trying to figure out what happened. He closed with a par for a 71, two shots behind.
Singh finished at 14-under 202, one shot ahead of Jeff Maggert.
The big Fijian walked off the 18th green and stared at a scoreboard, trying to figure out what happened behind him.
Four putts from 3 feet.
Paul Goydos' 1-shot lead became a 2-shot deficit after a triple bogey on the 17th hole @AllyChallenge. pic.twitter.com/KRRdp97iXo
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) August 27, 2023
“I was 14 (under), Jeff was 13 and no … no Goydos,” Singh said. “I was surprised what he did there.”
Singh won for the fifth time on the PGA Tour Champions, his first since the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2018. He had three straight birdies on the back nine to momentarily take the lead, only to bogey the 15th and then fail to birdie the par-5 16th.
He ended his drought on a Warwick Hills course where Singh won three times when it was a regular stop on the PGA Tour.
“For some reason, I drive the ball very well here,” Singh said. “I did that this week, and I putted well. Putting has been a mystery for a long time. I found a few things out in the last few weeks and I’ve been putting really well.”
Steve Stricker, playing for the first time in a month, closed with a 68 and tied for eighth to match his worst finish of the year. He has five wins — three of them senior majors — and five runner-up finishes.
