Singh completes journey with Masters victory

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- Vijay Singh once found refuge in the remote rain forests of Borneo. On Sunday at the Masters, he took his place among the stars. <br><br>First came an early charge from Tiger Woods,

Sunday, April 9th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- Vijay Singh once found refuge in the remote rain forests of Borneo. On Sunday at the Masters, he took his place among the stars.

First came an early charge from Tiger Woods, then a relentless challenge from David Duval. In the end, Singh calmly held off Ernie Els to complete an improbable journey that brought him his second major championship in three years.

"This is something I think you can't beat," Singh said shortly after slipping a size 46 green jacket over his broad shoulders.

No one knows better than Singh.

Banished from two tours, he started his comeback in 1985 by taking a club pro job at Keningau Club, where he toiled for $160 a month and pounded balls in every free moment. He lived in a one-bedroom apartment and had no idea how he was going to make his way back to big-time golf, let alone Augusta National.

"It was a struggle, but it was a peaceful struggle," said the 37-year-old Fiji native. "I wouldn't swap that for now."

Now, he has as many majors as Woods and Els. He carved out a place alongside Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, names he knew only from the videotapes he watched of past Masters.

"We didn't have live TV in Fiji," he said.

The tiny South Pacific country has a reason to celebrate now.

Singh rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 3-under 69, kissed the ball as he removed it from the cup and embraced his family. His 9-year-old son, Qass, had taped a message to his bag that said, "Papa, Trust Your Swing!"

He did, following those directions better than anyone else.

Singh finished with a three-stroke victory over Els, $828,000for his eighth career victory and another major that validates him as one of the game's top players.

"Winning this one gives me confidence that I can win a lot more," Singh said.

Els, a two-time U.S. Open champion, couldn't get a birdie putt to fall on the last three holes and was at 281.

The biggest threat came from Duval, in contention on the back nine Sunday at Augusta for the third straight year. His dreams died with a risky shot that wound up in Rae's Creek for a bogey on thepar-5 13th, the easiest hole at Augusta.

Duval had a 70 and finished third along with Loren Roberts. Woods, trying to pull off the greatest 36-hole comeback in Masters history, got within three of the lead but played even-par on the back and finished fifth, six strokes back.

"I was so focused on what I was doing," Singh said. "It meant a lot."

And it showed when last year's winner, Jose Maria Olazabal, helped him slip into the coveted green jacket.

"It feels great," a beaming Singh said.

Singh played tours on five continents and was banned from two of them, one because of allegations that he doctored his scorecard to miss the cut. He has long denied the charge, but it has haunted him throughout his career.

"I don't think anyone should be surprised that Vijay Singh won this golf tournament," Duval said. "He's a wonderful player."

He proved it on the back nine at Augusta, where so many Masters are decided.

For Singh, Sunday morning was just as critical as Sunday afternoon.

With frost melting into dew, he returned to the course to complete his third round and made two critical par putts that enabled him to maintain his three-stroke cushion over Duval.

That paid dividends later in the day, when Singh managed to escape danger twice without losing his lead.

Clinging to a two-stroke lead over Duval, Singh hit his approach into the pond left of the 11th green. He was able to drop close to the green, hit a delicate chip to 4 feet and dropped only one shot by making the putt.

Then on the par-3 12th, he hit over the green into the most daunting bunker at Augusta. Faced with a shot that sloped down the green toward more trouble, he blasted out to 2 feet -- the same shotOlazabal pulled off to win last year.

Duval, who lives near Singh in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., was still poised to win his first major championship until a mistake on the 13th.

"I played perfectly well enough to win the golf tournament," Duval said, but, "the day did not turn out like I wanted."

Ditto for Els, the 30-year-old South African who got word Saturday that his buddy had won a $2 million lottery and thought it might be a good omen.

"I felt like I was going to win the tournament when I stepped on the first tee," Els said. "I was really trying to push too hard."

Woods, an overwhelming favorite at the start of the week, wound up missing key shots on the par 5s. He still needs five more green jackets to catch Jack Nicklaus.

"I knew going into this week that every time I play, this game is very fickle," Woods said. "Even though I didn't get off to a good start Thursday, I gave myself a chance. I got back into the tournament and had a chance on Sunday."

Woods, who opened with a 75 and was nine strokes back after two days, got the deficit down to three strokes early and seemed poised to pounce.

Singh was in the fairway, waiting for the group ahead to tee off on No. 4, when he glanced up at the large white leader board in time to see another birdie posted for Woods. Singh proceeded to hit long and three-putt from 50 feet off the fringe.

Woods went out in 33. He was 4 under for the tournament and slowly gaining momentum for the kind of back-nine charge that have become so famous at Augusta.

But Singh's biggest threat was Duval. He made a couple of 8-foot putts early to close a three-stroke deficit to one, then really began to apply the pressure with birdie putts from 12 feet on No.6, a good pitch to 2 feet on the par-5 eighth, and a sliding6-footer on No. 9.

What did that get him? Nothing.

Singh matched every birdie and answered every great approach by Duval with one of his own -- and took that slim lead to the back nine.

Woods ran out of chances.

There were too few fist pumps and too many sighs, none louder than when his 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 13th turned away. Only two Masters champions since 1992 have failed to birdie the hole, and it was the first time all week that Woods had to settlefor par.

It could have worse.

Duval was exactly where he had planned on being for the past seven months. That's when he started pounding his body into shape with heavy lifting, lots of running and a disciplined diet. All he wanted was a chance on the back nine of Augusta come Sunday, and here he was.

With one bad decision, and a bad swing to match, there he went.

Singh never gave him or anyone else a chance. Despite a three-putt bogey on the 16th, he was always in the fairway, always on the green.