Sport - Golf

Woods wins his 12th major

MEDINAH: Tiger Woods won the US PGA Championship for his 12th major career title on Sunday, closing with a 4-under 68 for a five-shot victory.

One month after an emotional triumph in the British Open, Woods moved within six victories of Jack Nicklaus and his record for winning the most majors in a career.

Woods started with a 10-foot birdie to seize the lead. He finished with a tap-in par to match his scoring record at the U.S. PGA Championship, finishing at 18-under 270 and walking off the 18th green with a broad smile.

That wasn't the case at Hoylake last month, where Woods cried on his caddie's shoulder after winning his first major since his father died in May.

Routine celebration

This time, it was another routine celebration. Woods plucked the ball out of the cup and put it in his pocket, thrust his fists in the air and gave a thumbs-up sign as he walked over to pick up the Wanamaker Trophy.

"This is sweet. This is really sweet," he said.

He became the first player to win the American PGA Championship twice on the same course, having beaten Sergio Garcia by one shot at Medinah seven years ago.

This one was never close from the start.

Woods twice made birdie putts over 40 feet, and the margin might have been greater had he not aimed for the middle of the green and lagged for par over the closisng holes.

Shaun Micheel won the battle for second place, about the only drama on a sunny afternoon outside Chicago.

Third straight win

After missing the cut at the U.S. Open, Woods won for the third straight time, the first time he has done that in five years. And he became the first player in history to go consecutive years winning at least two majors.

Each one moves him that much closer to the 18 majors Nicklaus compiled over 25 years. Woods is at a dozen after only 10 years, and there doesn't appear to be anyone capable of stopping him.

Luke Donald was tied for the lead going into the final round at Medinah and didn't make a single birdie, closing with a 74 to finish in a tie for third at 12-under 276 with Adam Scott (67) and Garcia (70).

"He's just too good," Micheel said after a 69, although he never got within five shots of Woods after the fourth hole. "Unless you're at the top of your game, you just can't play with him."

Woods has won all 12 majors when he had at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

So dominant was this performance that Woods made only three bogeys the entire week, including a harmless one on the par-3 17th hole over Lake Kadijah when he was playing it safe. All that cost him was the scoring record in relation to par. He settled for 18 under, the same score he posted at Valhalla in 2000.

It was the fifth major that Woods won by at least five shots. He now has won his 12 majors by a combined 56 shots, while Nicklaus won his 18 majors by 44 shots.

The master's nod

Nicklaus was home in North Palm Beach, Florida, watching his grandchildren play golf, but he saw enough of the final round on television to appreciate how easy Woods made it look.

"He's that good," Nicklaus said in an e-mail. "The guy is playing just great golf, terrific golf. From what I saw, he certainly was in total command."

Ryder Cup squad

The top 10 players who have earned a spot on the U.S. team are Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, David Toms, Chad Campbell, Christian DiMarco, Vaughn Taylor, J.J. Henry, Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich.

Chopra finishes 41st

Meanwhile, Daniel Chopra once again struggled in his back nine as he carded a disappointing one-over 73 to finish tied 41st.

The Indian-born Swede could hardly improve upon his third-round card of four-over 76 and ended the tournament with a four-day total of one-over 288.

The final standings: 1. Tiger Woods (69,68, 65, 68)270; 2. Shaun Micheel (69, 70, 67, 69) 275; 3. Adam Scott (71, 69, 69, 67) 276; 4. Sergio Garcia (69, 70, 67, 70) 276; 5. Luke Donald (68,68, 66, 74) 276. — AP

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