SINGAPORE – India's Jeev Milkha Singh thanked the 'golfing gods' after clinching the Singapore Open on Sunday by a shot from Ireland's Padraig Harrington and South Africa's Ernie Els in a dramatic finish.

Harrington needed to sink a five-foot putt at the last to force a play-off but pushed his shot right, and then Els, in the group behind, had to do the same but his 15 footer curled round the lip of the hole.

It handed the Indian star his third victory of the season, with his seven-under-par 277 earning him 792,500 US dollars.

The win had the added bonus of virtually assuring Singh of the Asian Tour Order of Merit title, which traditionally results in an invite to The Masters.

Singh's rival for that honour, Mark Brown of New Zealand, would have to win all four remaining Asian Tour events this season to deprive him of his second Merit crown in three years.

“Those boys, Padraig and Ernie, put a good effort in out there but the golfing gods were on my side so I'm feeling much better now,” said Singh.

“I started looking at the leaderboard and I saw I had a one shot lead coming into the last. I wasn't hitting my driver that well so I took a three wood on the last and thought 'at least confirm a five'.

“To be honest, I'm golfed-out and I haven't played that well in the last two weeks so, like I said, the golfing gods have been great to me and things worked really well.”

AFP

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