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Show DAILY HERALD Wednesday. November 3. 2004 PROFESSIONAL GOLF honeymoon, Tiger ready to return After three-wee- k ments than anyone else suH ' playing. , But he how is just one of the 31 players at the Tour Championship trying to end his year on a good note. Children still ran after him for his autograph when he arrived at East Lake. He still had more people in his gallery than any other players. If television ratings go up this week, Woods will be the rea- Doug Ferguson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS , ATLANTA Tiger Woods does not play golf with a ring on his finger. That was the answer to the first question about how things might be different in his first tournament as a married man. But the biggest change was more subtle. Woods began his pro-around at the Tour Championship on the 10th tee. He usually is the first one off on the first tee, a perk he has been afforded the last five years. But the first tee was occupied Tuesday by Vijay Singh, who is firmly entrenched at No. 1 in the world. Then, Woods had to wait for Singh to finish his interview before he could step to the micro- ' phone. And once Woods finished talking about his three-wee- k honeymoon on a 150-foyacht in the Caribbean, he was bombarded with questions about Singh just like so many other players who for years grew weary talking about Woods. ot son. Still, he now looks like one of the guys and not just because Associated BULL QREOORY he's married. The fear factor is gone," one caddie said on the practice range as he watched Woods warm up. The last time Woods and Singh played together was outside. Boston oh Labor Day, when the Fijian won a thrilling back-nin- e duel in the Deutsche Bank Championship to end Woods' five-yereign at No. 1 in the world. Since then, Woods had a disastrous pairing with Phil Mick-elso- n and another losing record in the Ryder Cup. He barely made it through 72 holes of the Press Tiger Woods, third from right, sits in a small dive boat along with his new wife Elin Nordegren, in black bathing suit, and her twin sister Josephin, far right, off the beach of the luxury resort Sandy Lane in Barbados in this Oct. 6 file photo. ar "He's played some just unbe-- . lievable golf this year Woods said. "For him to play as much as he does and still maintain that edge, and as much as he practices, it's pretty impressive to do all that." Woods still has eight majors. He is the only professional to hold all four major champi- onship trophies at the same time. He has won more tourna American Express Championship wjth a back injury. And he got married Oct 5 in Barbados to Swedish nanny Ehn Nordegren. And since becoming No. 1 in the world, Singh has won three times and was runner-u- p in his other PGA Tour start. It reminds Woods of the last time someone else was No. lin the world David DuvaL who won 11 times in 18 months and became the first man to shoot 59 in the final round of a PGA Tour event. "Everybody has a run," Woods said. "I had one. Duval had one. Johnny Miller, (Jack) Nicklaus, (Tom) Watson, everyone has their run. It's just a matter of how long can you continue. Fortunately for me, I lasted five years." The question is how long Singh can keep this up and whether Woods can come back. Woods had such a good time in the Caribbean that he skipped Disney for the first time since turning pro, and he nearly called it a year by not playing in the Tour Championship. ' Let's see he's on a private yacht with his Swedish bride, with no one to bother him but the U.S. Coast Guard Why even bother coming back for one tournament? Trust me," Woods said wth a big grin. "That thought went through my head a lot of timet." Eventual, the honeymoon has to end. "I miss competing," Woods said. "That's what I love to da He hasnt been shown much love in return. Woods' airy victory this year is the Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa at the end of February. His drought in the majors is 10 and counting. He is No. 3 in the world ranking, No. 4 on the money list. But even on the open sea, Woods still found room for golf. "When I was on the boat, I was actually thinking about my game quite a bit and organizing my To Do' list what causes what in the golf swing, and basically prioritizing what I needed to work on," Woods said. Singh is golfs new golden child Doug Ferguson THE , RICHARD Associated VOOEL , Press , Masters proof of emerging wealth in communist Vietnam ASSOCIATED PRESS d CHI UNH, Vietnam hats dot the manicured Cone-shape- , green as a crew of young women wearing rubber boots and face masks learn how to caddy for Vietnam's first major golf tournament. It's an unlikely sight in the communist country where the average annual income still hov-er- s around $420, and a monthly wage often wouldn't cover greens fees. For access and economic reasons, sports like soccer and badminton usually reign. Vietnam wUl host the inaugural Carlsberg Masters 2004 Vietnam tournament this week, an unmistakable sign of emerging wealth in a country that no longer wants to be known for war and isolatioa "I think that the staging of the tournament fits in well with the development of the country," said Lars Holden, general manager of Chi Linn Star Golf & Country Club, about 50 miles outside the capital of Hanoi, where the tournament will be held. "We're probably five years ahead of when most people say this event should be played. But for me, I want this event to kick start mega interest in golf in Vietnam." Golf was first introduced to the country in 1922 at the Central Highlands' resort town of Dalat, where the French colocourse. nialists built an Vietnam's last emperor played there in the cool mountain air as did French military officers and later the. Americans. But after Ho Chi Minn's revole lutionary army ousted the French in 1954, the country endured years of hardship and poverty during the Vietnam War. The Dalat course escaped virtually unscathed, but fell into disrepair when it was abandoned after the communists reunified the country in 1975. It wasn't reopened for nearly 20 years. Since the war ended, Vietnam has been struggling to find its place in the world. But over the past decade, it has opened its doors widely to foreign investors while gradually moving toward a market economy. As a result, many golfers teeing off on Vietnam's nine courses today are Japanese or South Korean business people, but unprecedented economic growth has spurred an increasing interest among Vietnamese players as well. golfing just four years ago with his father and now. dreams of becoming Vietnam's version of Tiger Woods or at least the first player in his country to go professional After training in Malaysia, Australia and the United States, Duong hopes to have a strong showing at the Carlsberg Masters. But he'll have his work cut out for him as 1995 U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin and 142 others compete for the $200,000 purse during the 19th leg of the Asian Tour. "I think I have to practice every day seven or eight hours a day for two or three years" to turn professional said Duong-whrecently graduated from high school and hopes to go to college in the United States to further advance his game. "Golf is very new and not popular in Vietnam. Not many people are watching it," he said. "The tournament is a big deal to Vietnam's economy and also because Vietnam is changing on a lot of levels especially golf." Duong is among a handful of young, aspiring Vietnamese players who want to see the game take off as it has in other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand. But despite increasing wealth, the gap between rich and poor remains wide keeping most ordinary Vietnamese from even dreaming about swinging a club. "Golf is still seen as a selected sport. It's not like football where they can grab a ball and find little piece of concrete out in the street and kick it around and become superstars," Hold-e- n said. "It's so expensive that a monthly wage wouldn't get you a game of golf , and it makes it tough." Still the Chi Linh course opened in August and already has more than 900 members, most of whom are wealthy Vietnamese businessmen and government officials. The Viet- namese-owne- d course which will add 18 more holes, 300 is estimathouses and a hotel ed to cost $40 million when it's completed in 2006. About a half dozen other new courses are expected to open in Vietnam over the next five years, and Holden is hopeful more exposure will lead to tougher competition, lower costs and ultimately more local and foreign players. "We're trying to really get out there and grab the attention of the golfing community and show them that Vietnam is a destination to come to" he said. tSmm , ""'""ip J u i rags-to-riche- st Hanoi native Nguyen Thai Duong, 18, is one. He began Margie Mason THE PRESS The mayor JACKSONVILLE, Fla. wanted a picture with him The owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars wanted a word with him Gvicfcaders simply wanted to shake his handt Vijay Singh was the star attraction Monday at a hmchton where the PGA Tour announced $2.25 million in charitable giving from The Players Championship. It was another example of just how far the Fijian has come. He was a dub pro in Borneo in 1985, making minimum wage phis $10 r, lesson and practicing in his free time. He was a bouncer in Scotland two years late1, stashing away money to play in a two-b- it tournament in Africa, the first small step t ward a European tour card, then a PGA Tour card. He stood before the lunch crowd in a downtown hotel as the No. 1 player in the world and the first $10 million man in golf, a story unlike any other on the PGA Tour. They listened intently when Singh was asked what he thought about this week's Tour Championship, where he can join Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson as the only players to win at feast 10 times in one year. "I'm really thinking of taking this week off," Singh said as the room erupted in laughter. Everyone knows better. His work ethic is legendary, and it has earned Singh to unimaginable heights. Despite reaching No. 1 in the world two months earner, Singh continued his routine of working out in the gym and on the range, sometimes before and after his round. Small wonder that he captured the Chrysler Championship at Innisbrook on Sunday, his ninth victory of the year. It was his fourth PGA Tour victory in his last five starts. The other time he finished Women wearing the traditional Vietnamese conical hats haul golf clubs while training to learn how to caddy, ASSOCIATED " J i - second. The season finale is East Lake in Atlanta, where Singh won two years ago. The other two times he played at East Lake, he finished third (2000) and lost in a playoff to Hal Sutton (1998). "I'm going there with a little fire in the belly now," Singh said. "I think my game is o STEVE NESIUSAssoclated Press OK." -- There was a time not long ago when Singh and the rest of his peers would see Tiger Woods' name atop the leaderboard and figure the tournament was over. Woods had that aura about him, having won the career Grand Slam at 24, and eight majors by 26. Singh used to wonder how anyone would be able to push Woods aside. "Now when I look at the leaderboard, I see everyone coming after me," Singh said. "It's a good feeling." If he is comfortable in the lead Singh now has won 11 straight tournaments with lead at least a share of the he also is more at ease in front of a large crowd. And he is starting to give back to the community he lived in the last 10 years. The Singh family including wife Arde-n- a and son Qass established the Vijay Singh Charitable Foundation to provide relief for women and children who are victims rftomestic abuse. The Betty Griffin Housew St: John's County will be one of the first beneficiaries. 54-ho- . ''. i celebrates after sinking a birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Chrysler Championship on Oct. 31. Vijay Singh of Fiji "It's about time we took a step forward and did something with the community," Singh said. "If we can touch even one or two lives, it will make a big difference." Singh has said it might take him a while for the success to sink in. The season must feel like a blur at times as Singh goes from one tournament to the next, usually leaving with the trophy. Only Hogan, Snead, Nelson, Woods and Paul Runyan have won at least nine times in a year. Singh has reached that level where no one is surprised to see is name atop the leaderboard When he made consecutive bogeys early in the third round, he was six shots behind Jeff Sluman. By the end of the day, he was leading the tournament. And when it was over, Singh won by five shots, his biggest blowout of the year. "It's amazing," Jesper Parnevik said. "It's just as amazing as Tiger was four years ago." PGA Tour ccrnmissioner Tim Finchem recalls seeing Singnin the gym around Christmas some five years ago. The Fijian was pumping weights, and Finchem asked why. "He said, 1 need to hit it farther. IVe got to hit it where Tiger is if I'm going to beat him,"' Finchem recalled. "He's KtSng it there now, and he's hitting it in the fair- way." East Lake is where Singh began his big run. He capped off the 2002 season another year of the Tiger with a textbook performance at the Tour Championship, missing only two greens the final round and winning by two. Singh won four times the following year and ended Woods' five-yereign atop the money list. This year was quite an encore, unless Singh is saving up something truly special for 2005. ar rfJia) IsHfi.-K - ' Report: Lehman to be next Ryder Cup captain ASSOCIATED , PRESS WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Tom Lehman wanted to play on the next Ryder Cup team. Instead, he'll go Ireland in 2006 as the next U.S. captain. The Palm Beach Post reported that ' Lehman, 45, will be introduced as the US. captain at a news conference in Amelia Island, where the PGA of America is holding its 86th annual meeting. The newspaper did not cite a source in its report. Neither Lehman nor PGA president M.G Orender returned phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. PGA spokesman Julius Mason confirmed that a news conference would be held Wednesday to announce the captain. Lehman, without a PGA Tour victory for nearly five years, said two weeks ago that he wanted to win again to earn a spot on the '06 team, but he also said he wanted to be a captain one day. "I'd be honored.if they choose me," Lehman said at the Funai Classic at Disney. "But I don't think it's anybody's place to lobby for that position" He will be responsible for leading an American team that was dealt its worst loss ever to Europe, 18 12-- 9 12, two months ago at Oakland Hills. Europe now has captured the cup seven of the last 10 times. "I think hell be great," Tiger Woods said. "He was one of the spearheads at Valderrama and one of the leaders m the locker room at Brookline, so I think heU do a great Job." Woods was hopeful his friend, Mark OTrfeara, would get the job. Other players said to be candidates were s. Larry Nelson, Corey Pavin and Fred Paul Aztnger said last month he took himself out of consideration because he wanted to spend time on his game and fa ' C3ou-ple- tiieteleviskbooth, |