PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Vijay Singh blew away the field Sunday at Pebble Beach to continue an amazing run that keeps moving him closer to his ultimate goal – replacing Tiger Woods at No. 1.

Singh birdied his first three holes to bury co-leader Arron Oberholser and anyone else who had thoughts of catching him, closing with a 3-under 69 for a three-shot victory in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The hard-working Fijian had an easy time, leading by as many as five shots on the back nine and allowing plenty of time to soak in breathtaking views on another pristine day on the Monterey Peninsula.

Equally spectacular was his game.

Despite bumpy greens that kept Woods away, Singh managed to make 25 birdies for the week.

He hit the flag twice in the final round, and would have done it a third time, except his chip on No. 10 was so true it dropped in the cup.

Singh finished at 16-under 262, three shots ahead of Jeff Maggert.

Maggert overcame a four-putt for double bogey on No. 16 with birdies on his last two holes for a 69.

Phil Mickelson also had a 69 and finished third, his third top-10 in as many starts this year.

That’s nothing compared with Singh, who ran his streak to 12 consecutive finishes in the top 10 dating to the NEC Invitational in August. He is two away from the modern-day record set by Jack Nicklaus in 1977.

The real target is Woods.

Singh, who earned $954,000 for his 16th career victory, is firmly entrenched at No. 2 in the world ranking. At this rate, it won’t be long before Woods is looking over his shoulder.

“I’m playing pretty good,” Singh said. “I’m more concerned with how I’m playing week in and week out. I want to be No. 1 before I finish. But it’s a hard feat to take Tiger off the top.”

Singh ended Woods’ four-year reign of the PGA Tour money title last year, and has shown no signs of letting up.

Scott McCarron might have a good idea.

“I think we’re about ready to take up a collection and send him on a paid vacation,” he said.

Singh on vacation?

Even during a two-week break over the holidays, he walked around the house with a club, honing his swing. Singh now heads south to Torrey Pines for the Buick Invitational, where Woods is the defending champion.

Singh started the final round tied with Oberholser, who was playing in the final group at a PGA Tour event for the first time.

After hooking his opening tee shot into deep rough, Singh hit an approach that hopped off a knob over the bunker, rolled toward the cup and nicked the pin before stopping a few feet away for a tap-in birdie. He missed the green by 60 yards on the No. 2, but pitched to 10 feet for another birdie.

And after missing the fairway to the left on No. 3, he hit into 10 feet on the fringe and holed that for birdie.

There was a brief moment when it looked as though Singh might be challenged.

The eighth hole has one of the most daunting approach shots in golf, over part of the ocean to a small green that slopes severely to the front.

Maggert had a 10-foot birdie putt to get within two shots, with Singh still back in the fairway. The putt caught the right lip, and Singh effectively ended the tournament with another bold shot.

His 4-iron stopped 4 feet from the cup for a birdie, and everyone around him started falling back.

Oberholser’s approach on No. 8 came up short, down the cliff. He had to take a drop and made double bogey for a three-shot swing that dropped him six shots behind.

Oberholser closed with a 72 and tied for fourth, matching his best finish on tour.

The gallery had nothing to do the rest of the day except to soak up the sunshine, watch seals frolic in the Pacific and appreciate the game of a golfer in full flight.

Starting with the NEC Invitational at Firestone, Singh has shot par or better in 45 of his 48 rounds. Not only does he have 12 consecutive finishes in the top 10, he has been no worse than tie for sixth in all but one of them.

Divots: Charles Howell III suffered from food poisoning overnight and wasn’t sure he could play the final round. He got in all 18 holes, closing with back-to-back bogeys for a 72. … Jerry Kelly and Robert Halmi won the pro-am portion of the tournament at 34 under. Singh and Teddy Forstmann finished two shots behind. … Mickelson has over $1.3 million in three starts, about $285,000 less than what he made all of last year.

AP-ES-02-08-04 1950EST