September 16, 2007
ATLANTA, Ga (AP) -- The FedEx Cup didn't change anything but Tiger Woods' bank account.
The PGA Tour's "new era in golf" came to a familiar conclusion Sunday when Woods captured the Tour Championship in record-setting fashion, closing with a 4-under 66 for an eight-shot victory at East Lake and his seventh title of the season.
The only difference?
This was the first time Woods walked away from one tournament with two trophies.
Along with winning the Tour Championship and its $1.26 million prize, Woods was a runaway winner of the FedEx Cup and the $10 million that goes into his retirement account.
If this was supposed to be the "Super Bowl" of golf, Woods spent most of the final round running out the clock.
He stretched his three-shot lead to four at the turn, and the only drama was whether he would break the 72-hole scoring record on the PGA Tour. He had to settle for a 23-under 257, his career low on tour and breaking the Tour Championship record by six shots.
"I hit it good this week," Woods said. "It's been a phenomenal week"
Masters champion Zach Johnson closed with a 68 and tied for second with Mark Calcavecchia, who shot a 71.
Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson were the only players with a realistic chance of capturing the FedEx Cup, and their hopes were gone by the weekend. Stricker closed with a 67 and wrapped up second place in the PGA Tour Playoffs, giving him a $3 million retirement boost.
The FedEx Cup was a points race that began in January, with the points reset after the majors for a four-week stretch of the PGA Tour Playoffs. Woods skipped the first playoff event in New York, tied for second outside Boston, then won the last two tournaments to win by an overwhelming margin.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem first presented Woods with the crystal trophy from the Tour Championship. Before handing him the FedEx Cup trophy, Finchem alluded to the tour's promotion of the FedEx Cup by noting it had never been kissed.
And it still hasn't.
Woods simply held it aloft as the thousands around 18th green cheered.
"Once you got into the playoffs, you're playing against the best guys and the hottest players. You have to play well," Woods said. "We had some great drama. In the end, it was a lot of fun for all of us."
There was no drama at East Lake, not with Woods hitting on all cylinders to wrap up another phenomenal season. He won seven times in 16 starts on the PGA Tour, and was close to unbeatable the last two months of the season. Woods was 75-under par in his last five tournaments, four of them victories.
Woods' primary objective is winning majors, and he already has 13 of those. The World Golf Championships were created in 1999, and he has won 14 of 25. And now the FedEx Cup.
"It just makes it harder for the rest of us," Johnson said. "Why give him another thing to try to achieve. He's a very driven man. When you add another element to that drive, what are you going to do?"
It was the 61st career victory for Woods, which makes him at 31 the youngest player to reach that mark. Jack Nicklaus was 35 when he captured his 61st tour victory.
And while he has to wait at least until he's 45 to tap into the $10 million from the FedEx Cup, the $1.26 million in cash he earned Sunday pushing his season total to $10,876,052, the second-highest mark in PGA Tour history. Woods came up $29,114 short of the record set by Vijay Singh in 2004, although Singh earned that in 29 tournaments. Woods played in only 16 this year.
Woods' previous low for 72 holes was a 21-under 259 at Firestone in 2000, when he won by 11 shots. This was the eighth time in his career that Woods has won by at least eight shots, and the margin set the record at the Tour Championship.
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