Singh, Villegas big winners at showcase

ATLANTA - Quiet and orderly as the proceedings were for three days, particularly when compared with the previous week's Ryder Cup commotion, the Tour Championship generated plenty of noise in yesterday's final round at East Lake Golf Club.

Trouble is, it was hard to determine whether the slamming and banging came from the door closing on the 2008 PGA Tour season or the bank vault door opening for those marquee names who dominated the second year of the FedEx Cup playoffs. As sure as dimples are on a golf ball, it was a day of excesses, whether your interest was who won (there were two) or how much cash was divided up (a $7 million purse and $35 million in bonus money) or how many holes (19) it took to get a champion to this PGA Tour showcase.

"I'm glad it's over," said Vijay Singh, who was speaking for his capitalistic interests only, and not for spectators and PGA Tour officials who embraced a spirited competition among four flamboyant personalities - Camilo Villegas, Sergio Garcia, Antho ny Kim, and Phil Mickelson - who helped bring down the curtain in style to what was in effect the last tournament of the regular phase of the season.

Singh's focus, of course, was on the $10 million prize he earned, even with a lackluster par 70 that left him at 289 to beat just seven of the 30 players gathered. Not very good, but economics being what they are in pro sports these days, the tie for 22d enabled Singh to clinch the seasonlong FedEx Cup, a reality that was all but made official when he won the first two playoff tournaments, the Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship.

While Singh had drained that drama, everyone else thankfully had the golf - and what golf it was, all the way to a one-hole playoff that rewarded Villegas for the day's best round, a superb 4-under 66 that got him to 7-under 273. The 26-year-old from Colombia - winless in his first 85 PGA Tour events but now a winner in two straight - converted for a par 3 at the extra hole, the 235-yard 18th, while Garcia (71) missed the green right and put a cap on a disappointing day with a bogey.

"It's just unbelievable," said Villegas, who earned his second consecutive $1.26 million check and pocketed another $3 million for finishing second to Singh in the FedEx Cup standings. "Man, I'm proud of myself."

Others were so close to saying similar things, particularly Garcia, who had started the day at 8 under, leading Kim and Mickelson by three and Villegas by five. But on a day when he would hit just five of 14 fairways, the Spaniard never established control.

"I just didn't play well enough today," said Garcia, who wound up third in the FedEx Cup standings, providing him with $2 million, in addition to the $756,000 he got for being runner-up to Villegas. (Hey, we told you the doors to the vault were opened.) "I doubted myself too much early on and it cost me."

Mickelson and Kim, both of whom closed 69 -274 to tie for third and finish one out of the playoff, matched Garcia's despair, though leave it to the lefthander to put a positive spin on it - albeit one that is deserved.

"The four of us were doing it out there," said Mickelson, who for four holes at different times had at least a share of the lead. "There were some birdies on the back [nine among the four of them], but I didn't make enough of them."

Given that the FedEx Cup race fizzled, thanks to Singh, PGA Tour officials can at least count their blessings that the tournament itself sizzled, thanks to that foursome of names and an East Lake GC course that yielded only five red numbers for 72 holes (Ben Curtis closed with a 70 -278 to finish fifth).

If Garcia's lead at the start didn't suggest much of a battle was in store, his wayward drives quickly made one reassess. Trying to become just the second player to win the Players Championship and Tour Championship in the same year, Garcia went to the turn in a birdieless 2-over 37 to leave the door wide open. Mickelson took advantage and so, too, did Kim, the three all at 6 under. But since none of them was rude enough to bolt the door, in rushed Villegas. When he splashed his tee shot and doubled the par-3 sixth and followed with bogey at the par-4 seventh, he was 2 under and four off the lead, but he went on a tear - birdies at the eighth, ninth, and 10th got him to 5 under and just one off the lead.

It also set up a scintillating back-nine battle as each of the four had at least a share of the lead at some point.

Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com.