PGA Singh grabs lead in Buick Classic

An aggressive finish gave Singh a one-stroke lead over Frederik Jacobson.
HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) -- Vijay Singh solved his putting problems with brilliant ballstriking in the first round of the Buick Classic.
Following aggressive driving with pinpoint wedge play, the two-time tournament winner shot an 8-under 63 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Fredrik Jacobson in the final PGA Tour event before the U.S. Open next week at Shinnecock Hills.
"I've been hitting the ball really well the last few weeks, but the putter has been letting me down," Singh said. "I hit a bunch of shots close and had a lot of tap-in birdies. ... From 3-4 feet you can't pick too many bad lines."
Singh played his final nine holes -- the front nine on the Westchester Country Club course -- in six-under 30.
The Fijian, the tour leader with three victories and earnings of $4,448,861, had nine birdies -- eight from inside 10 feet -- and one bogey.
"I drove the ball really straight. I attacked the course from the get-go," Singh said. "If you hit the driver well, you have a lot of wedges and sand wedges into the greens. I was very relaxed and let my swing happen. I didn't force anything."
Former champions lurking
David Frost, the 1992 winner, opened with a 66, and Fred Couples topped a nine-player group at 67. Ernie Els, a two-time Buick Classic champion coming off a victory Sunday in the Memorial, bogeyed his final hole for a 68.
Davis Love III, David Toms and Padraig Harrington also shot 68s, and Masters champion Phil Mickelson had a 69.
"There's a lot of birdies out there," Mickelson said. "I just had a hard time getting the ball close to the hole. Fortunately, I didn't make any big mistakes."
Jacobson one-putted the first six greens in his morning round in perfect scoring conditions, highlighted by a 60-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fifth hole.
"It was roller coaster. It went up two tiers," he said. "It was straight on line. It's very rare that you get the pace and everything right on a putt like that, but once it was on the way there, I thought I wouldn't be surprised of it goes in."
Jacobson continuing strong year
The Swede has four top-10 finishes in 12 starts this year, his first full season on the PGA Tour. Last year, he won three times on the European tour and had four top 10s in eight PGA Tour appearances.
"I really took on the par 4s that were a little bit shorter," Jacobson said.
"I tried to go with the driver today because I practiced the wedges so hard and started hitting good shots in the beginning. I wanted to give myself a few more of those."
Frost won the last of his 10 PGA Tour titles in 1997.
"I'm just trying to enjoy the game," the 44-year-old South African said. "I still love playing and love trying to figure it out. It's nice to be on a course that you've won on before."