Golf: Singh wins Singapore Masters

Vijay Singh made it an Asian double by winning the Singapore Masters early today. Last week, the Fijian won the Malaysian Open in a sudden-death play-off against Irishman Padraig Harrington.

Singh fired a 68 to finish on a 21-under par at 263, two strokes ahead of England's Warren Bennett, who also shot a final-round 68 to end 19 under.

The Fijian started the day strong with a birdie on the 1st and 4th holes. But he had to endure a few anxious moment after dropping shots at the 7th and 8th to see his lead cut down to just one before a birdie on the 9th restored a two-shot cushion.

"When I turned 19 under I looked and there was nobody who was two shots off me," said Singh. "That made things a bit easy to play and I played really solid from there."

He added two more birdies on the back nine to effectively seal victory, his ninth in total on the European Tour. "I haven't played in Malaysia and Singapore since 1993 so it was a good homecoming," added Singh.

Colin Montgomerie had announced his intention to fight back after trailing by three strokes overnight, but began dismally with a bogie on each of the first two holes. "I had only had one bogey in the first three days and then I started bogey bogey," said the Scot, who fired a 68 to move to 18-under par. "I didn't play well today."

Bennett finished the round with a chip on the 18th hole for eagle three. "I fancied the chip but the lie wasn't great. I was just surprised," said Bennett. Ireland's Padraig Harrington was a further shot adrift alongside Denmark's Anders Hansen, the Irishman calling a one-shot penalty on himself on the 16th.

Bennett's superb performance, which earned him £65,000 and put him within sight of securing his card for next season, was a welcome return to form and fitness after a nightmare time with injury and illness over the last two years.

After winning the Challenge Tour in 1998 with five tournament victories, Bennett won the Scottish PGA on the main tour in August the following year only to be struck down by pneumonia weeks later, the virus leaving him so weak he aggravated an old neck injury that had previously forced him to sit out most of the 1996 season.

It all restricted him to just six tournaments all season and he has already withdrawn from one event this year, although this time for happier reasons when wife his Angela went into labour on the first day of the South African Open. "This is unreal, totally unreal," the 29-year-old, now the proud father of four-week-old son Tom, said. "Hopefully the problems over the past year or so were a blessing in disguise. Then my son coming early a few weeks ago meant I played here instead of Australia. Hopefully these things are meant."