The incomparable Tiger Woods gave yet another golfing masterclass in Chicago yesterday, leaving Luke Donald and the rest trailing in his wake as he claimed his 12th major title.
Donald, joint leader with a round to go and in contention for a major for the first time, was simply powerless to prevent the world number one winning the US PGA championship at Medinah.
Woods' dominance was such that by the back nine his only challenge was to try to achieve the lowest score under par in the history of the majors - all 399 of them.
A bogey on the short 17th denied him that but 18 under matched the PGA record he and Bob May set six years ago. And this time, thanks to a closing 68, it gave him a five-stroke victory over 2003 winner Shaun Micheel.
It was the world number one's second successive major and his third tournament win in a row. And it puts him second on his own in the all-time list, just six behind Jack Nicklaus.
Woods, 30, has now won 12 of the 40 majors he has played as professional. It took Nicklaus 48 to get to the same point. This was the 12th time out of 12 that Woods has turned at least a share of top spot entering the final day into victory. And as at the Open last month, he made it look a piece of cake.
Donald had not had a bogey for 36 holes going into their duel in the sun but that soon changed and he was already out of it when another came at the long tenth. He did not manage a single birdie, in fact, in slipping to joint third place with Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott.
That should seal Ryder Cup spots for Garcia and Donald, while Ian Poulter's ninth place keeps his hopes alive with two events to go.
Woods turned it into a one-man show like so often before, sinking two putts of over 30 feet as he raced to the turn in 32 to be four clear.
The gap - make that chasm - widened to five when he made a ten-footer on the 11th despite having driven into the rough.
Donald had hoped to become the first European to win a major since 1999 but doing it playing with Woods in the final group was never a good situation to be in to try to make it happen.
His bogey-free run ended after he unluckily drove into a divot hole on the fourth and when he missed a three-footer at the next there was a sense already that it was just not going to be his day.
Aug 12-15: USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP (Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin, USA) & BMW Russian Open (Moscow Country Club, Moscow, Russia) Aug 19-22: WGC-NEC Invitational (Firestone, Akron, Ohio, USA) Aug 26-29: BMW International Open (Golfclub Munchen Nord-Eichenried, Munich, Germany)
Golfing Destinations
