Stuart Appleby completes hatrick of Mercedes wins

The king of Kapalua birdied the first extra hole to beat Vijay Singh in a playoff and become just the second player in the past 25 years to win the same event three times in a row on the PGA Tour.

Tiger Woods has accomplished the feat with monotonous regularity, clinching hat tricks at the Memorial and the NEC Invitational from 1999-2001, and also winning the Bay Hill Invitational four successive times (2000-03).

Appleby also became just the season player to clinch a hat trick at the PGA Tour's season-opening event, formerly known as the Tournament of Champions, joining Gene Littler (1955-57).

"To win it the first time was great, the second time was awesome, the third time - it's the wrong English - but more awesomer," Appleby said as he eyed the big trophy that he has made virtually his own.

"This one was the hardest test, mentally and physically, because it was a real windy week. I was playing well, practicing well coming into this event. I just tried to put myself in the moment of the previous two years, 12 rounds linked up together like there was no break."

Appleby had to work hard to outlast the fast-finishing Singh, who overcame a five-shot final round deficit with a sizzling 7-under 66, the week's best score by three shots on Maui's Kapalua Plantation course.

He posted an 8-under 284 total that Appleby matched with a 71, while Jim Furyk finished a distance four shots behind in third place. Michael Campbell, who was tied for the lead with seven holes left, faded to tie for fourth with Vaughn Taylor, six strokes off the pace.

Appleby didn't look at a leader board until the 16th hole and was surprised to find himself behind Singh.

"I thought I was probably in the lead," Appleby said. "I didn't sense anybody doing anything. Vijay came from deeper in the pack than even you guys would have thought. I thought, 'I can't lose this tournament.'"

Earlier, Singh began his charge with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 fifth, and added two more quick birdies to make the turn just two shots behind.

He continued his charge with further birdies at the 12th, 15th and 16th holes and strode to the 17th tee with a two-shot lead and the tournament his to lose, but he came up short with his approach to the par-4 17th and missed a 15-foot par putt to open the door for Appleby.

Singh finished regulation with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 18th but Appleby, playing behind, responded to the challenge, making a birdie of his own by sinking a knee-knocker from four feet.

It was back to the 18th to start the playoff, and Appleby knocked his 3-iron second shot over the green into a bunker, from where he had a perfect lie in the sand, barely 30 feet from the hole.

Singh, on the other hand, came up just short of the green, nearly 40 yards from the pin. He used a putter but slightly misjudged the speed, his ball stopping nine feet short.

Appleby then hit an exquisite shot, his ball nearly hitting the pin before settling just two feet away, from where he tapped in after Singh had missed his nine-footer.

"I felt pretty relaxed (over the bunker shot)," Appleby said. "The putt was a lot harder. Your heart's pounding, you've just got to say, 'I've hit this putt a thousand times.'"

Singh refused to attend a press conference, but according to a tour transcript, he said, "I did everything good except make one more putt.

"I can't complain about the way I played. Give me a 66 at the start of the day and I would have taken it."

Appleby received $1,080,000 and a 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550 for his efforts.

Only four players have won a PGA Tour event four years in a row - Woods, Tom Morris Jr., Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen. Appleby will have a chance to join them next year.

January 9, 2006