Medinah, Ill. – No tears, no sweat.
One month after an emotional victory in the British Open, Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship with a ruthless display of efficiency Sunday, closing with a 4-under 68 for a five-shot victory and his 12th career major.
Now, only Jack Nicklaus and his 18 majors stand in the way of Woods’ becoming golf’s greatest champion.
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 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.
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 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.
Even the race for the Ryder Cup fizzled, with no change in the standings.
