Singh triumphs by two shots in Kapalua

KAPALUA, Hawaii, Jan 8 (Reuters) Vijay Singh held off a late charge by playing partner Adam Scott of Australia to win his 30th PGA Tour title by two shots at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

The 43-year-old Fijian, three strokes clear overnight in the season-opening event, closed with a three-under-par 70 at a breezy Kapalua Resort yesterday.

Singh, apparently in cruise control, stretched his lead to five with seven holes to play before his advantage was trimmed to two when Scott holed a 10-foot birdie putt at the 16th.

The Australia's challenge effectively ended, though, with a three-putt bogey at the par-four 17th and he had to settle for second place after completing a seven-birdie 69.

Singh, who failed to birdie the par-five last for the fourth day in a row, finished on 14-under 278 to move past Sam Snead as the PGA Tour's most prolific winner after the age of 40.

Singh and late American Snead had been level with 17 titles apiece at the start of the week.

South Africa's Trevor Immelman, the Tour's 2006 rookie of the year, finished third at nine under after returning a 72 with Americans Davis Love III (68), Will MacKenzie (72) and J.B. Holmes (72) a further stroke back in a tie for fourth.

Former world number one Singh, runner-up at Kapalua's Plantation Course twice in the previous three years, made a fast start to the final round.

He struck his approach to just five feet at the par-four first to set up birdie number one and picked up another shot by holing an 11-footer at the difficult par-three second.

The three-times major winner then parred the next seven holes to reach the turn in two-under 34.

Although his putter failed him a couple of times over the closing stretch, he rolled in a 12-footer to birdie the par-three 11th to forge five strokes ahead.

Scott's late surge provided late drama but Singh always had enough in reserve to seal the first victory in the PGA Tour's much-trumpeted new era of golf.

This week's event launches the inaugural FedExCup, a season-long points competition culminating in a four-event playoff series with 10 million dollar to be won by the overall champion.

REUTERS PDS MIR RAI0933