Unlikely duo going out last at Honda Classic
4 Min Read
Vijay Singh Round 3 highlights from Honda
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – It’s been seven years since Vijay Singh last appeared in the final group on Sunday at a PGA TOUR event. That’s no surprise – at age 56, Singh has gradually shifted his focus to PGA TOUR Champions.
It’s been, well, never since Wyndham Clark played in the final group of a TOUR event. That’s no surprise, either -- he’s just a rookie making his 11th start of the season and 19th of his young career.
So raise your hand if you expected Singh and Clark to tee off last in Sunday’s final round of The Honda Classic. Anyone? Anybody?
Didn’t think so.
But there they will be, two players 31 years apart in age, each looking for a victory that will define their careers in completely opposite ways. Tee time will be 1:35 p.m. ET at PGA National.
“It’s just fun being in contention,” said Clark, who is at 7 under and owns a one-shot lead after shooting a 3-under 67 on Saturday. “I love the moment. I love playing in front of fans and I love to win.
“So I want to be there on Sundays, and the fact that I am is great.”
Singh is one of three players tied for second at 6 under, along with Keith Mitchell and Kyoung-Hoon Lee. Unlike Clark, Singh has been there plenty of times on Sunday; after all, he has 34 career PGA TOUR wins (and four more on PGA TOUR Champions), won the FedExCup in 2008 and already has been enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
His last TOUR victory was 11 years ago – specifically, 3,835 days ago -- when he won the first two events of the FedExCup Playoffs. If he can pull off the win Sunday, he would replace Sam Snead (age 52) as the oldest winner in TOUR history.
MUST READS: Round 3, The Honda Classic
“I don’t know what I found, but I’m going to see if it’s still there tomorrow,” said Singh, who tied for sixth in his last appearance at PGA National in 2016. The last time he was in the final group at a TOUR event was the 2012 BMW Championship, when he finished eighth.
New NBC analyst Paul Azinger is three years older than Singh. “Vijay is a miracle man and he has still got it,” Azinger said. “Nobody hits more balls than Vijay Singh. At age 56, I bet he’ll be a little nervous tomorrow.”
Clark – who made the field this week thanks to his top-10 finish at last week’s Puerto Rico Open -- has torn up the front nine at PGA National, with 12 birdies against one bogey. If he can control his nerves, he might get out to a quick start.
Meanwhile, Singh has managed to deal with the infamous Bear Trap – holes 15, 16 and 17 – in impressive fashion. He’s 2 under in that stretch, with the rest of the field a collective 0.578 over par on those holes.
Of course, if either stumbles, there are plenty of others lurking, including some of the field’s notable names. Rickie Fowler shot a 66 on Saturday that he called a “great round” and is in solo fifth at 5 under. Brooks Koepka is tied for sixth at 4 under and has to feel good about his position considering, “I haven’t hit the ball very well this week.”
Fowler won The Honda Classic in 2017; another former Honda winner is Michael Thompson in 2013. He’s in the group with Koepka and has been on a roll lately – top-15 finishes in each of his last four starts, including a T-7 at the Genesis Open.
“I’ve got a really great swing thought that I’ve been riding,” Thompson said.
Fowler and Thompson know what it takes to win on PGA National. Koepka knows what it takes to win on tough courses.
“No lead is safe here, really,” Fowler said. “I should know – two years ago, I was four shots clear, and there’s a lot of water around this place. There’s a lot of things that can happen. …
“Big thing for me tomorrow is keeping it as clean as possible. I’m going to have to come from behind and with that, you can’t really make mistakes. … There’s not a big enough cushion out here.”
Added Koepka: “If you’re nervous, it’ll show up.”
There’s every reason for Clark and Singh to be nervous in the final group Sunday. A breakthrough win is possible for Clark; a record-setting win is within grasp for Singh.
On Saturday night, Clark said he plans to play cards with his caddie, something he does to relax each night during a tournament. Not until Sunday afternoon will he truly know the hand he’s been dealt.